David Harbour would appreciate it if you could refrain from screaming the name “Hopper” at him in public. It was flattering at first, but after so many years of playing Jim Hopper for Netflix’s Stranger Things, the actor hopes to move forward. He’s got several feature-length projects on the horizon and plans to make feature films exclusively after Stranger Things ends with its fifth and final season.
Speaking with Insider before the SAG-AFTRA strike kicked into high gear, he said he’s ready to become a featured player in films people will remember. “I’ve been on Netflix, but this was a small original movie that’s going to a cinema,” Harbour said about his ultra-violent Christmas-themed action-comedy Violent Night resonating with audiences. “A whole new world opened up for me with that. I like this playing field. I want to make original movies that go to the movie theaters.”
Make no mistake, though. Harbour loves playing Jim Hopper on Netflix’s Stranger Things. He plans to pour everything he has into playing the character one last time for the show’s final season, sending the fan-favorite character out with a bang. Still, he’s looking forward to the days when Hopper’s hat hangs on a hook, giving him time to focus solely on his film career.
“I think about that a lot,” Harbour said about being recognized for more than his Stranger Things tenure. “It’s a funny position I’m in, which I never thought I would be in,” Harbour said. “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.’ And 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.”
Harbour adds, “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,” he explained. “But at the same time, you kind of want to leave the nest. 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.”
Thankfully, Harbour has plenty of opportunities to strut his stuff with films like Sony‘s Gran Turismo, Marvel’s Thunderbolts, and The Trashers on the way. I can’t wait to see him escape the shadow of Jim Hopper. As much as I love that character, and I do, everyone deserves a chance to make more of themselves. Let David Harbour cook, dammit!