David Harbour has come a long way since his appearance in an episode of Law & Order in 1999. Since then, he has made various appearances in movies and television shows, including 2019's Black Widow as the Red Guardian and last year's Violent Night as the door-smashing Santa Claus. But despite Harbour's greater creative workload, Stranger Things undoubtedly helped catapult his career to new heights. Though thinking about the show nearing its conclusion is a "bittersweet" feeling for the actor, Harbour told DiscussingFilm that he thinks it's high time for the award-winning television series to end.
Harbour has had a lot on his plate lately. He recently worked on the upcoming family adventure film, We Have a Ghost, with Christopher Landon at the helm. In addition, the actor is also juggling filming for the upcoming MCU feature Thunderbolts and the final season of Stranger Things, in which he plays the cynical Jim Hopper. Talking about his tiring and busy schedule, Harbour also shared his thoughts on why the sci-fi series must eventually come to an end:
"Yeah, I’m feeling exhausted already. I feel like I need a nap. Just thinking about the year, it’s going to be crazy. It’s nothing like I’ve ever done before...You know, Stranger Things had to go. We have to get going because the kids are growing up, we got to shoot this thing! Then Thunderbolts came around, and I was terrified. I was like, “Oh god, if these things don’t work out, and I can’t do one?”
Though it has been an exhausting journey for the actor, he also shared that he's fine with "being exhausted," considering the incredible projects he's working on. When asked about his thoughts on Stranger Things approaching its end, the actor said:
"What’s funny is when I started the show, I never ever wanted it to end. That’s why I love the show. I think it’s a great show, even if I wasn’t in it. Now we’re almost nine years from filming the first season, and I think it is time for it to end. But it is, of course, very bittersweet. You know, there’s a sadness there. But also, we’ve all grown up. It is time for us to leave that nest and try other things and different projects. And to let the Duffer Brothers try different things as well. I mean, those guys are so talented. I want to see what they come up with next. So it is bittersweet, but it’s definitely time."
Besides Harbour's, Stranger Things has helped launch the careers of its child stars, including Millie Bobby Brown, Sadie Sink, Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, and Caleb McLaughlin, who have all worked on their respective projects outside the said series. It also made household names out of Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Maya Hawke, Joseph Quinn, and Dacre Montgomery, as well as Jamie Campbell Bower, who offered standout performances in the show as the powerful villain, Vecna.
Stranger Things is currently streaming on Netflix.