David Harbour is extremely grateful that "Stranger Things" changed his life. But he doesn't want to only be known as Hopper for the rest of his career.
In a recent profile with Insider, the actor admitted that recently he's been thinking "a lot" about how he's going to build his career after the hit Netflix series ends its run.
"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."
"I think about George Clooney leaving 'ER.' Now we just see him as George Clooney," he continued. "But there was a time when it was, The guy from 'ER' is doing a movie with Nicole Kidman."
Harbour has already begun that process. He played the Marvel character Red Guardian in the 2021 movie "Black Widow" (and will reprise the role for "Thunderbolts") and the lead in the 2022 hit "Violent Night."
He hopes to continue showing off his range when his next movie, the race-car drama "Gran Turismo," opens on August 25.
"It's tricky because you don't want to shit on the people that love you for this thing that you did that you also love," Harbour said about being most known for "Stranger Things." "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."
Before "Stranger Things," Harbour was a respected character actor on the stage and screen but he found massive fame when the series became a hit on Netflix. Harbour has since earned two Emmy nominations for playing sheriff Jim Hopper.
Production on the final season of "Stranger Things" is currently on pause due to the writers' and actors' strikes.
