David Harbour is still in disbelief that his character in "Stranger Things" has reached the fifth and final curtain call. In a recent chat with British GQ, the actor who breathes life into Jim Hopper in the beloved Netflix series revealed that upon reading the season one scripts (debuted in 2016), he was firmly convinced that his character would end his journey by taking his own life—a tragic gesture meant to atone for Hopper's loss of his daughter. Yet, fate had other plans, and Hopper's story arc burgeoned into so much more as "Stranger Things" ascended to global fame. At one poignant juncture, fans were led to believe Hopper had met his demise at the conclusion of season three, when Joyce (played by Winona Ryder) sealed the gate to the Upside Down, implying his ultimate selfless sacrifice. Thus, Harbour empathizes with fans' skepticism when Hopper resurfaced in season four, alive yet incarcerated in Russia. "I think they were so enchanted by the poignancy of his apparent death," Harbour mused. "It was so emotionally charged that they almost wished he'd stayed gone."
As the Duffer brothers' masterpiece gears up to unleash its fifth and climactic season later this year, Harbour hinted that his character faced relentless physical challenges in the penultimate installment. "We filmed numerous nights brimming with intense action, battling evil head-on," shared the "Thunderbolts" star. "Hopper is a man of dynamic deeds—there's plenty of running, dodging, and fighting." "Stranger Things" chronicles the adventures of a band of friends in 1980s Hawkins, Indiana, who stumble upon a labyrinthine mystery entwined with clandestine experiments, eerie supernatural entities, and an enigmatic little girl after a young boy vanishes. The ensemble cast also shines brightly with Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, and Joe Keery.
Earlier this week, at the grand opening of "Stranger Things: The First Shadow" on Broadway, Schnapp teased to The Hollywood Reporter that viewers will be "utterly heartbroken" as they witness the unfolding of the final season.
