David Harbour wants to be known for more than just Stranger Things: “I don’t want to be just that guy”

David Harbour’s role as Jim Hopper in Stranger Things has made him one of the most sought after actors in Hollywood, landing exciting roles in numerous sci-fi and fantasy projects. Once Stranger Things concludes with its fifth and final season, Harbour is keen to move on to more big screen adventures. He hopes that after seeing him in other stuff, fans stop referring to him only as ‘Hopper’. It’s not his real surname, folks!

Of course, Harbour has a lot of respect for Stranger Things — it did put him on the industry’s radar, after all. However, after experiencing the excitement of movie premieres, such as 2022’s Violent Night, he wants to work on more projects like that. “I’ve been on Netflix, but this was a small original movie that’s going to a cinema,” Harbour told Insider. “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 theatres.”

David Harbour wants to grow beyond Stranger Things: “I don’t want to be just that character.”

As time goes on, Harbour has only grown more recognizable as Sheriff Jim Hopper. Sure, it can be quite endearing when fans call him Hopper, but also, it’s a very telling sign that perhaps it’s time to move on to other things. “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,” he admitted.

At first, he was totally down to be heavily associated with the character. “It’s a funny position I’m in, which I never thought I would be in. 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,'” he said. “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.”

There’s no doubt he’s found already success outside of Hawkins. He’s been in all sorts of exciting projects, including Black Widow, Extraction, Hellboy (which, ultimately, was quite disappointing), and most recently Gran Turismo, a big screen adaptation of the beloved video game series. Obviously, when Stranger Things wraps up, he’s going to have plenty of free time to explore even more things!

Like most other productions throughout Hollywood, Stranger Things 5 is currently on pause due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. We don’t know when production will commence, but clearly, Harbour is using the time for some much-needed reflection before he returns to film the final season.

The interview quoted in this article was given before the SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.