David Harbour isn't new to the acting business - in fact, he's been at it for the past two decades. However, many people were first introduced to his acting talents when he was cast as Hopper, the police chief of Hawkins, Indiana in Netflix's hit series
Stranger Things.
Alongside Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder, Dacre Montgomery, Sean Astin, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarrazzo, and more, the levity Harbour brought to the role got him an instant following amongst fans, who were quite upset with the apparent departure of the police chief in
Season 3 of the Netflix series.
Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Harbour talked a little bit about the road that got him here and the show in question. He also discussed the upcoming role of Red Guardian that he will be seen tackling in Marvel's
Black Widow this spring.
“It’s got complex relationships that are funny and also heartbreaking. What we shot I’m very, very proud of. I think the character will surprise you. I think it’s one of the greatest characters I’ve ever played. I mean, I can’t compare it to Hopper; Hopper’s the greatest character ever written.
Those kids’ careers have gone in interesting directions, and their personas have gotten big in the culture. They’re finding themselves even more. I’ve watched in awe and also fear, joy. One thing that remains the same is, no matter how many years we do this and how much older the kids get, when we arrive back on set, we’re just a family. Once we’re shooting, there’s a certain kind of quiet joy and a real personal quality to our relationships. That doesn’t always mean ‘good.’ We know each other very well. We know how to push each other’s buttons. It feels like a loving family. I’ve never had that experience like I do now, and I’ve been acting professionally for over 20 years.”
It seems like one of the reasons Harbour loves
Stranger Things as much as he does is his bond with the rest of the cast, as he talks more about the kids than he does his own character.
He goes on to discuss the heatbreaking tale of Hopper and the poetry surrounding the circumstances of his supposed death in
Season 3 - if he did in fact perish.
“When I read that first scene with Joyce [Winona Ryder] and Hopper and he resists helping her find her child and even makes a bit of a homophobic joke about him, you see this guy has really sort of died on the inside as a result of the death of his daughter. The fact that he lives with a certain amount of internalized rage and had been slowly killing himself with pills and alcohol ... he needed to make a sacrifice.
One way it could be viewed is he has to die to make it up to [his daughter] Sara and see her in the afterlife. The other view is that because of this newfound relationship with Eleven [Millie Bobby Brown], he needs to shed his skin, make a sacrifice that allows his character to re-emerge. He was finally able to really take a bullet for a child, which he had never been able to do because Sara died of cancer. I think there’s a perfection to it.”
The actor also mentions that he can't help but go online and look at theories from fans, and these days it seems like many people in entertainment are doing so. He takes the time to talk about
that theory regarding "The American" after the credits in
Season 3 of
Stranger Things.
“I’ve read a lot of fan theories. Sometimes when I’m looking for punishment, I’ll go online and see what people are saying. I will say that the fact that he was called ‘The American’ [earlier] by Grigori during the season and there’s someone the Russians are calling ‘The American’ points to Hopper, but there are a lot of theories out there.
Now whether or not there’s some sort of second-act resurrection would be very interesting to me, clearly, for obvious reasons. The fact that I desperately love the show and desperately love the character … but that remains to be seen. He would certainly have to emerge a different individual.”
What do you guys think of Harbours comments? Do you hope to see him return to the Upside Down, or would you prefer if he kept making movies such as
Hellboy and
Black Widow? Be sure to sound off in the comments below!
When the town's threatened by enemies - both old and new, Eleven and her friends are reminded that evil never ends; it evolves. One summer can change everything.
Stranger Things is currently streaming on Netflix.