Stranger Things creators reveal Hollywood star who very nearly played Hopper instead of David Harbour

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The creators of the hit Netflix show Stranger Things, the Duffer brothers, have shared that they originally wanted a different actor to play the character of Hopper.

I always loved Jim Hopper, David Harbour’s character! He was such a relatable, flawed sheriff in Hawkins, and I quickly became really invested in him. He was so important to the story, especially because of his bond with Eleven and how he cared for Joyce Byers – it felt like he was the father figure they both desperately needed.

But what if it had all been different?

David Harbour wasn’t the Duffer Brothers’ first pick for the role of Hopper. He landed the part after their preferred actor wasn’t available.

On the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, the creators of the show, the Duffer brothers, shared that Billy Crudup was their first choice to play the character Hopper.

So, David Harbour actually asked the question, but Matt Duffer finally confirmed it was Billy Crudup under that creepy Demogorgon suit! Apparently, everything happens for a reason in the Upside Down, and once they figured out the casting, it all made sense. Duffer mentioned Crudup wasn’t really doing a lot of television work at the time, which is why he was available for the role. It was a surprising reveal, but a clever one!

Billy Crudup is recognizable from movies like Almost Famous, Watchmen, and Alien: Covenant. However, he’s recently gained renewed attention for his role as Cory Ellison in the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show, where he stars alongside Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.

For his role as Ellison, Crudup has won two Emmys for best supporting actor in a drama series.

Ross Duffer, discussing how they cast Hopper, revealed that after David Krumholtz wasn’t available, Harbour auditioned for the role because the casting director suggested he’d be a good fit.

I remember when he came in to read for the part, he did the whole thing in just one take. Honestly, we barely even needed to be there. We watched the footage later, and it was instantly obvious – that was Hopper. We knew right then and there we’d found our guy.

David Harbour portrayed Jim Hopper throughout all five seasons of Stranger Things, and his performance earned him two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 2017 and 2018.

Although the main story of Stranger Things concluded with its popular fifth season earlier this year, the show’s universe is expanding with several spin-off projects currently in development.

Last month saw the release of ‘Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85,’ an animated spin-off that TopMob praised as a great return to the world of Hawkins.

Authors

George Griffiths

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2026-05-19 12:34