Stranger Things Creators Reveal Their First Choice For Jim Hopper (It Wasn't David Harbour)
It's hard to imagine anyone other than David Harbour playing Jim Hopper in "Stranger Things," but the show's creators initially had their hearts set on a different actor.
Netflix's 1980s-inspired sci-fi series, which aired its fifth and final season in 2025, notably established the careers of young stars like Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, and Caleb McLaughlin. A lesser-known actor before "Stranger Things," Harbour saw his Hollywood profile rise significantly after portraying Hopper, later landing roles like Red Guardian in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a starring role in HBO's "DTF ST. Louis."
While on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, Matt and Ross Duffer responded to a clip of Harbour himself asking who their first choice to play Hopper was. "It was Billy Crudup," Matt said. "Which is a very different — like everything happens for a reason, right? So, it's like, once it kind of clicks into place. But, yeah, Billy Crudup passed. I don't think he was doing much TV at the time, and now he's doing 'The Morning Show.'"
How David Harbour was eventually cast in Stranger Things
From the beginning to the end of "Stranger Things," Hopper's emotional arc largely revolves around his relationship with his adopted daughter Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who helps him heal from losing his own daughter before the events of the show. As an embattled, resilient, and emotionally vulnerable police chief, Hopper required a multifaceted performer to bring the character to life.
In the same interview, Ross Duffer shared how they decided David Harbour was the right choice to play Hopper after Billy Crudup took himself out of the running. "One of our casting directors thought he could be great for the role," Ross recalled. "He came in and read. He just did one take. We weren't even there, we just saw the tape, and it was just — it was so clear instantly: This is Hopper. And we just cast him right then and there."
As one of the most popular Netflix series of all time, "Stranger Things" changed the lives of many of its cast members, especially Harbour. "A lot of people know me now, and it gave me a fan base of a certain type. So, career wise, it just opened a tremendous amount of doors," he told Variety.