David Harbour loves Stranger Things, but the actor wants fans to know there’s more to him than Hopper.
David Harbour has great appreciation for his Stranger Things character alongside the many fans who also love Hopper, but the actor is ready to be seen as someone who’s so much more than his breakthrough role.
Harbour is a veteran of the screen, appearing in various movies and TV shows since the 1990s, but he might be best known for playing Jim Hopper in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things. Following the show’s instant and immense success with the debut of its first season in 2016, Harbour has become very closely associated with the character. In a new interview with Insider, the actor addressed how he understands how fans shouting his character’s name at him in public comes from a place of love, but he wants people to get to the point where they see him not as Hopper, but as David Harbour.
“The first year of Stranger Things, I remember having a discussion with a publicist and her saying, ‘Maybe you don’t want to be associated with the show so much,’ and I was like, ‘Why? I love this show. I love the character,'” Harbour recalled of first accepting the role, later realizing what it was he’d been warned about. “I do love the show. And I do love the character. But I don’t want to be just that character. I don’t want to be just that guy.”
David Harbour Is Inspired by George Clooney’s Post-ER Career
Harbour points to the success of George Clooney as someone who managed to break free from his close association with a popular television series through his continued great work in film. He remembers how Clooney was once basically just “the guy from ER” before showing just how much more than that he really was. Harbour is hoping that he can similarly prove to fans that he’s capable of doing a lot more than playing his fan-favorite Stranger Things character.
“I’m trying to navigate some of that, and it’s tricky because you don’t want to sh*t on the people that love you for this thing that you did that you also love. But at the same time, you kind of want to leave the nest,” Harbour explained. “I got more in me. I got different stuff in me, and I want you guys to see that. I don’t want people yelling ‘Hopper’ on the street every five minutes the rest of my life.”
Perhaps one reason why fans haven’t let go of Hopper just yet is that Stranger Things is ongoing, set to conclude with its upcoming fifth and final season. Harbour has also already been doing a lot to further explore his range, such as with his role as Santa Claus in the action-comedy film Violent Night. He has also joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and is set to reprise his Black Widow role in the upcoming film Thunderbolts. Meanwhile, Harbour can also be seen on the big screen as one of the stars of Gran Turismo.
Source: cbr.com