David Harbour, who is notably recognized for his portrayal of Jim Hopper in Stranger Things, recently discussed what it was like to be directed by the Duffer Brothers when the show first started. He recalled that back in the time, everything in the series was at its most casual, creative, and open. Harbour expressed that the Duffer brothers had a few restrictions at that time.Although Stranger Things gave Harbour a higher profile, he had already had a long career. Before Stranger Things, Harbour worked in New York theatre on Broadway in plays like The Invention of Love, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and The Coast of Utopia, worked on TV shows, including Pan Am and The Newsroom, and began appearing in films like Quantum of Solace and The Equalizer. Harbour noted in his interview with Variety,"I really enjoyed being No. 7 on a call sheet of, like, a Denzel Washington action movie."When he was 41, David Harbour landed the role of Jim Hopper. Stranger Things became a global hit almost immediately, transforming his life and career. Over its run, he starred not just on the show but also in other big projects, such as the Hellboy reboot, Violent Night, and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the Red Guardian. Since Stranger Things ended filming, Harbour has moved on to a new limited series for HBO and other film roles.David Harbour's memories of the early days of Stranger ThingsTalking about the first season of Stranger Things, David Harbour said the Duffers were "much greener" than they are now."When we started, I think they were much greener, and the show also had much less at stake."He felt they had less pressure in those early days; the show did not have a huge budget, and few people outside the production were watching. David Harbour explained,"We were the forgotten show that first season. I don’t even know how much money they spent on the show, but it was not a lot, and we didn’t have any executives down there. Nobody was looking at what we’re doing."Because of that low pressure, he said,"I remember it being a little more freewheeling."In other words, he felt the Duffers gave actors more room to explore and to try things out. He also said that in many scenes, especially dialogue-heavy ones, they looked to him and Winona Ryder to bring ideas and help guide how the lines worked."I think that they looked to me and Winona in a lot of ways to help them more with the bigger dialogue heavy scenes."Harbour also noted that as Stranger Things grew, things changed. He said that over time, the Duffer Brothers "started getting a lot more specific about camera moves and shots and structure and cuts." He felt that as the show's success grew, so did the creative constraints, but he respected how the Duffers handled that. Even when things became more precise, Harbour said they kept being very generous to him as an actor.David Harbour on the Season 5 World Premiere - Source: GettyHe said they always appreciated what he brought to the character of Hopper, and they trusted him. David Harbour sensed that they saw him not just as someone who followed directions, but as someone who could help guide key emotional moments.Why that freewheeling spirit mattered to David Harbour?For David Harbour, the early creative freedom was very important. At that time, Stranger Things was not a guaranteed hit. There were no big expectations, and the Duffers were not under the same kind of pressure they would face later. Harbour felt the trust they showed him then made a big difference.He has said in other interviews that he values real collaboration. In a conversation with The Independent, Harbour praised the Duffers for being "wildly respectful" of his ideas and his understanding of Hopper's character. He added that they invited him to contribute his own views on how Hopper should act, think, and grow.That kind of creative partnership made Harbour feel seen. He has described their relationship as close: he felt he was not just delivering lines, but actively helping shape who David Harbour was. That was not always the case in his earlier career. Before Stranger Things, he was often in small but steady roles. But here, he had a voice, and the Duffers listened.Eventually, as the show became more successful and the financial implications changed, things tightened. Harbour noted that the Duffers' vision became more refined. But he felt valued at that time, too. He reflected on how they still trusted him with important emotional beats, and they still allowed him control over how Hopper showed certain feelings.Ultimately, David Harbour's recollections of working with Matt and Ross Duffer were about trust, growth, and respect. He talked about when the show was about an idea; when everyone was learning, trying, and experimenting. As Stranger Things became successful, the tone shifted, but the trust he gained with the Duffers remained.