David Harbour wants to concentrate on making original movies when 'Stranger Things' ends, because he doesn't want people shouting "Hopper" at him "every minutes for the rest of his life".
David Harbour to concentrate on films when Stranger Things wraps
The 48-year-old star has become best known for playing police chief Jim Hopper in the Netflix hit, but when he wraps on the series he is planning to concentrate on making films, because he doesn't want to just be known for one role.
Speaking about playing a dark version of Santa Claus in 2022 movie 'Violent Night', he told Insider: "I’ve been on Netflix, but this was a small original movie that’s going to a cinema.
"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 theaters.
"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,’ 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."
Harbour compares his situation to when George Clooney first became known in the industry for his time in medical drama 'ER'.
He added: "I think about George Clooney leaving ‘ER.’ Now we just see him as George Clooney, but there was a time when it was, ‘The guy from ‘ER’ is doing a movie with Nicole Kidman.'
"I’m trying to navigate some of that, and it’s tricky because you don’t want to s*** on the people that love you for this thing that you did that you also love.
"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."
Harbour recently admitted he would "love" to play Santa Claus again in 'Violent Night 2'.
Speaking to Collider - in an interview conducted before the subsequent SAG-AFTRA strike - Harbour said: "Before the writers' strike there was, you know, maybe something that came in.
"We'll have to see where it fits if they can resolve all these labour issues.
"If the studios would please go to the table and end these labour issues, we could shoot all kinds of things I'd love to give to the people! But yes, we're in process."
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