Unless you've successfully avoided all human contact for the past few years, you’re well aware of the return of Stranger Thingsand have likely already finished (or at least earnestly started) a proper binge of the just-dropped third season. We aren't interested in spoilers around these parts, but we are interested in interviews with various cast members, especially when said interviews include quotable words of praise from David Harbour about his young co-stars' futures.
The Hopper actor spoke with NPR for an interview that dropped appropriately on the national holiday known as Stranger Things Day about all things strange, with particular interest paid to the topic of watching young stars like Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard grow up on camera.
"[In this season,] you watch the kids grow up in real time," Harbour said. "And you feel the passage of time, more strongly than anything you could write or act." Harbour added that his working relationships with the rest of the cast actually began as a "sort of mirror" of how Hopper was introduced in the series, though they've since grown closer as the show has moved forward.
"I think that as young artists, they're getting so much success and ... I want Millie [Bobby Brown] to be the next Meryl Streep and I want Finn [Wolfhard] to be the next Daniel Day-Lewis," he said.
Development into that level of skill, Harbour explained, will take time. And he's confident his co-stars will continue to grow their craft.
"I have these desires for them to be the great actors of the next generation and I feel like that takes work," he said. "And it takes development. And it takes acting classes, even when you're paid a lot and well-respected for your acting. Even when it's good at a certain level, it still takes development of that tool."
Harbour also talked about how his own ambitions have changed since he began acting, the type of characters he gravitates toward, and more. Hear the full chat here.
Stranger Things 3 is out now on Netflix, though you surely already knew that.
