Stranger Things star David Harbour pushed himself to physical and emotional limits to play Hopper in the upcoming fourth season.
Speaking to Netflix at the Stranger Things premiere in Brooklyn on Saturday night, the 47-year-old star talked about the punishing conditions on set.
“It was very difficult this year,” Harbour revealed. “For me, it was a lot of cold weather. It was barefoot in the snow in Lithuania 20℉ below, and I wasn’t eating a lot of food because I was very emaciated this season. And so it was a brutal season on me, physically and emotionally.”
But the actor says the sacrifices were worth it to capture the desperation and desolation Hawkins’ police chief faces.
“I really liked doing stuff like that, because I feel like it provides the audience with a rich experience of something,” Harbour explained. “It allows them this catharsis, so I’m very happy to suffer in that way.”
Will Hopper suffer being separated from Joyce (Winona Ryder)? Harbour stayed coy about a possible reunion.
“I will tell you this,” he teased. “In the trailer, you probably saw that Hopper is in a very snowy environment and Murray and Joyce show up in a crashed plane in a snowy environment. So perhaps there will be some sort of meeting.”
“I mean, you know, Joyce really misses Hopper and Hopper really misses Joyce,” he continued. “I think they would love to see each other again and think they’re gonna try to go to any lengths to make that happen.”
As for Season 4’s big bad, Harbour offered up a few more details.
“Well, it’s got a face, it’s got a brain, it’s got almost a human form. So it’s a different threat,” he explained. “We’ve seen a shadow monster. We’ve seen Demogorgon. We’ve seen demodogs. And now we’re seeing sort of the brains behind the operation. And I think that becomes even more terrifying. So a lot more psychological horror this year, almost as we had in Season 1 where people feel like they’re going crazy. And that’s always scarier to me than external threats.”
Fans won’t have to wait long to find out Hopper’s fate and whether he and Joyce reunite. Stranger Things Season 4 premieres on Netflix May 27, but you don’t have to wait till then to get your Hawkins fix. Starting May 20, our “Seven Stranger Days” series takes you behind the scenes and inside the lives of your Hawkins favorites with insight from the cast, crew and even the Duffer brothers. So check Tudum daily to secure your spot in the Hellfire Club — this is one ticking clock you won’t want to run from.
