David Harbour Wasn’t the First Choice for Stranger Things’ Hopper

Winona Ryder and David Harbour in "Stranger Things"

Following the release of its third season on the streaming service, Netflix’s original series Stranger Things has enjoyed the same widespread audience and critical acclaim that it received for its first two seasons.

One of the main reasons for the show’s warm reception is the stellar acting performances delivered by its cast members. Just one of the breakout characters from this show is Jim Hopper, police chief of Hawkins, who was outstandingly portrayed by actor David Harbour.

In what may come as a shock to fans of the show, the show’s creators, the Duffer Brothers, originally intended for the role of Jim Hopper to go to someone else. It was recently reported that in the creators’ early notes for the series, they mentioned that they were considering casting the likes of either Ewan McGregor or Sam Rockwell for the role of the police chief.

This idea was justified by stating, “The limited nature of the project will allow us to target film actors for the adult leads.”

In addition, the role of Joyce Byers could have also been portrayed by a different actress, as the show’s creators had both Naomi Watts and Marisa Tomei in mind for the role of Will Byers’ mother.