David Harbour plays Jim Hopper in “Stranger Things” and takes on the father role for Eleven. In a podcast, he reported on the fatherly dynamic with the child stars in the sci-fi mystery series and the connection to his life outside of it.
Stranger Things is one of Netflix’s biggest successes and captivates audiences with a gripping mystery story and a mix of horror and coming-of-age. Above all, the charming 80s setting and the dynamics between the characters contribute to this.
Jim Hopper takes on the father role for Eleven in Stranger Things. In an interview in May 2022, actor David Harbour told the Los Angeles Times about the tremendous success that his co-star had at a young age and notes: He is lucky because it only happened for him at the age of 40.
“I know what it’s like to have to find friends”
David Harbour talked in the interview about his role as Jim Hopper in Stranger Things and states that his character has developed a “fatherly dynamic with Eleven” (via latimes.com).
When asked if he has a similar dynamic with his series adoptive daughter Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) off-screen as well, David Harbour says that the bond off-screen is “not as close”.
In Stranger Things, Eleven relies on Hopper, who takes her in and provides for her. However, the actress has many people around her in real life whom she relies on – but he is not one of them, David Harbour says in the interview.
“I feel all the feelings that Hopper feels. And then I have to […] fight my own savior complex,” because he sees what the kids are confronted with due to their fame. He believes that it is difficult to cope with the tremendous success at such a young age:
I believe that becoming extremely famous and adored at 11 years old is really hard for the psyche to handle.
I am lucky because it only happened for me at 40 [years old]. So I know what it’s like to go to the mall. I know what it’s like to be bullied and humiliated. That people don’t think I’m great. I know what it’s like to have to find friends, and that people don’t just come up to me. I don’t know if they will ever have this feeling.
David Harbour via latimes.com
Millie Bobby Brown highlights the downsides of success
How old were the child stars in the series? At the premiere of Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown, who plays the role of Eleven, was only 12 years old. In an Instagram post, she pointed out the downsides of success at a young age in February 2020.
There she writes:
Our world needs kindness and support so that we children can grow and be successful. The last few years have not been easy, I admit. There are moments when I am frustrated by the untruths, inappropriate comments, sexualization, and needless insults that ultimately led to pain and insecurity for me. […]
Let us focus on what needs to be changed, and I hope this video informs you about the things happening behind the headlines and flashing lights. Don’t worry, I will always find a way to smile.
Millie Bobby Brown via Instagram
For more information about Season 5 of Stranger Things, you can find it here with our colleagues at Moviepilot.
During the time David Harbour was busy with the series Stranger Things, he had also become a stepfather. In the interview, he reports that he believes his “artistic life and [his] real life are connected.”
In Stranger Things, he plays Hopper, who essentially adopts this young child. And in “Black Widow,” he also plays a man who “somehow raised two young daughters but didn’t really do it well,” he notes. Then he met his wife and is now actually raising two stepchildren.
One of the two “daughters” in Black Widow is Natasha Romanoff, played by Scarlett Johansson. With her role in Black Widow, the actress has moved on:
“It was a big sausage party” – Scarlett Johansson explains what it was like to shoot Marvel movies
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