David Harbour recently reflected on the profound ways that the Netflix series has shaped his life, ahead of Stranger Things’ fifth and concluding season. During an interview, Harbour detailed his journey, highlighting how the show has led to new professional opportunities, altered his inner outlook, and even transformed aspects of his personality, making the David Harbour Stranger Things impact more apparent than ever.
How Stranger Things Opened Doors in Harbour’s Career
Speaking to Variety in an interview that, though conducted in September, has only just surfaced, David Harbour discussed the sweeping influence Stranger Things has had on both his career and his personal life. When asked what has changed for him since the show’s debut, Harbour noted that fame and fresh possibilities in the acting world have been two of the most noticeable effects.
“A lot of people know me now, and it gave me a fan base of a certain type,”
says Harbour, Actor.
He elaborated that the global popularity of Stranger Things led to a surge in job offers and broadened his audience, making him recognizable to fans worldwide and significantly shifting his professional trajectory.
“So, career wise, it just opened a tremendous amount of doors. I mean, I’m interested now in what happens after ‘Stranger Things,’ in terms of walking through those doors. I have this new HBO show coming out in January, me and Jason Bateman, and all this other stuff in the pipe now, so that’s more where my focus is on right now.”
— David Harbour, Actor.
The Show’s Lasting Influence on His Personal Life
Beyond his acting opportunities, Harbour offered insight into how Stranger Things reshaped his everyday experience and self-perception. He recounted how, prior to the show’s success, he was satisfied with the life he had established—working as a supporting actor in films featuring stars like Denzel Washington, and holding lead roles in New York’s Public Theater productions. This lifestyle, which had centered around a modest East Village apartment, underwent a drastic change with the global acclaim of the series.
“Whereas, had you asked me that question seven years ago? It just ripped apart the whole conception of what I would be,”
Harbour explains, Actor.
“I got to a certain point in my life when I was 35 — I really enjoyed being number seven on a call sheet of, like, a Denzel Washington action movie, and also being leads in plays at the Public Theater in New York. It was a lovely life, a fantastic life, a one-bedroom-rental-in-the-East-Village life, and ‘Stranger Things’ changed that entire life in many ways.”
— David Harbour, Actor.
Maintaining Artistic Purpose Amidst Change
Although the show has significantly shifted nearly every aspect of his personal and professional world, Harbour stressed that his core motivation for acting remains the same. He said his artistic purpose—telling compelling and unique stories—has never wavered, regardless of fame or fortune resulting from Stranger Things.
“The one thing that it hasn’t changed is my intent, and I think my intent has always been to tell beautiful, weird stories that open people up,”
says the actor, David Harbour.
“That’s been the same pre-‘Stranger Things’ and after ‘Stranger Things,’ but everything else has changed.”
— David Harbour, Actor.
Stranger Things has marked a significant chapter in David Harbour’s life, taking him from acclaimed stage performances in New York to international stardom on Netflix, and paving the way for future collaborations like his upcoming HBO series with Jason Bateman. As audiences anticipate the show’s final season, Harbour’s reflections reveal how transformative such a cultural phenomenon can be, both on and off the screen, for those at its center.
