The Duffer Brothers have disclosed that David Harbour was not their initial selection to portray police chief Jim Hopper in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things. In a recent interview on Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast, show creators Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer elaborated on the casting process, acknowledging that another actor declined the role before Harbour was chosen.
During the podcast, a video question from Harbour was played, in which he stated: “I’m pretty sure I was second choice, and I don’t know who I was second choice to. Maybe I was third choice? But would you please answer the question of how I came to be cast as Chief Hopper, and who had to say no to allow me to do that wonderful, incredible role.”
After Horowitz incorrectly guessed Josh Brolin, Matt Duffer clarified: “No, it was Billy Crudup.”
“Which is a very different — like, everything happens for a reason, right? So it’s like, once it kind of clicks into place,” Matt added. “But yeah, Billy Crudup passed. I don’t think he was doing much TV at the time.”
Ross Duffer elaborated: “And then David just — honestly — he just came in and one of our casting directors thought he could be great for the role. But he came and read and he just did one take. We weren’t even there; we just saw the tape, and it was just so clear, instantly: This is Hopper. And we just cast him right then and there.”
After turning down the role in Stranger Things, Billy Crudup went on to star in Apple TV+’s Emmy-winning series The Morning Show alongside Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.
David Harbour portrayed Jim Hopper, the father figure to Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven, throughout all five seasons of the Netflix series. The role catapulted his career, establishing him as an internationally recognized star.
Further details about the Duffer Brothers’ original vision for the show emerged years ago when their so-called “show Bible,” or pitch deck, was made public. The creators’ early guide to the series indicated that they were seeking an actor reminiscent of Ewan McGregor or Sam Rockwell for the part of Hopper. Additionally, they considered stars such as Naomi Watts and Marisa Tomei for the character of Joyce Byers, which ultimately went to Winona Ryder.
Harbour previously mentioned that if Stranger Things were to spawn a spin-off prequel series, he would choose Euphoria star Jacob Elordi to portray a younger version of his character, quipping: “He could pull off being as handsome as I was at 20.”
