David Harbour Shares What He Learned From Young Castmates On “Magical” First Season Of ‘Stranger Things’: “Just A Joy To Work With And I Had A Blast”

During a Thursday FYC arena astatine Hollywood Forever Cemetery, nan tables were turned connected nan elder statesman of Stranger Things, David Harbour, arsenic he was asked what he learned from his younger castmates connected nan Netflix thriller-drama series.

“Uh, nothing,” he joked astatine first, earlier describing nan first play of nan Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer-created show arsenic a “magical experience.”

Noting that Season 5 “transcends character” and becomes much “about Matt and Ross’ imagination — which became truthful ample and epic successful standard and scope and nan things that they accomplished cinematically successful a TV format, I’ve ne'er seen done before, and I deliberation is to beryllium applauded and celebrated,” nan doubly Emmy-nominated actor joked that his “favorite season” was Season 1 because “I was thinner.”

Going backmost to nan question, his reply astatine times interrupted by his mic provender cutting retired — nan “Hawkins powerfulness and lights coming together,” he commented — Harbour said nan kid leads (Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin and Noah Schnapp, among others) “were conscionable enjoyable arsenic hell.”

He added, “A batch of kid actors that you activity pinch are very actor-y and they really cognize what they’re doing, and portion of nan spot of nan actors that they formed were that, astatine their essence, Noah and each these small kids were conscionable benignant of kids. Even during takes, they would fart and do things that were — you conscionable couldn’t judge that you had nan relaxation to do that successful beforehand of a camera that was spinning. I was like, ‘That’s unthinkable relaxation. I would dream of being capable to do that. Not being self-conscious successful that way.'”

Director and executive shaper Shawn Levy chimed in: “That’s thing you learned.”

“But I can’t do it. I tried, Shawn,” Harbour responded, earlier continuing: “No, so, existent beautiful quality beings. They were conscionable a joyousness to activity with, and I had a blast. I look backmost connected that [first] play arsenic conscionable being a miraculous clip successful my life. Hopper was a very depressed individual, it was really reliable to spell done nan acting of that, but nan family we created and nan communicative we were telling, I don’t cognize if I’ve ever felt that enriched by immoderate activity that I was doing.”

Stranger Things debuted to instantaneous occurrence connected nan streaming level successful 2016, concluding its five-season tally past New Year’s Eve. It has won a twelve Emmys and will erstwhile again beryllium eligible arsenic a contender this year. The bid has additionally spawned an animated spinoff, Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85, recently renewed for a Season 2, arsenic good arsenic a Broadway prequel show that was taped for future characteristic release.