Stranger Things: Did David Harbour really audition for Eleven? Here's what happened

Stranger Things gained a cult-like status when it debuted on Netflix in 2016. This sci-fi show gave us Demogorgons and the Upside Down world. We also got to see some insane superhuman power-induced nosebleeds and a group of kids who somehow manage to save the universe (or at least Hawkins) time and again.

The synth music and the energy of the adrenaline-pumped kids really stole our hearts. Jim Hopper was the role that actor David Harbour had played in Stranger Things.

He starts off as the town’s weary police chief who is weighed down by loss and heartbreak. But he soon becomes Eleven’s father figure, who is fiercely protective of her and a bit grumpy too.

But did David Harbour actually audition to play Eleven himself? All complete with the psychokinetic powers, nosebleeds, and all? Well, he auditioned for the role of Eleven but only as a part of a funny sketch.

Let’s get into the moment David Harbour channelled his inner Eleven.

Stranger Things: David Harbour as Eleven

Nearly a decade ago, a gem of a video surfaced on Funny or Die’s YouTube channel. In the sketch, Harbour jokingly reveals that when he first read the Stranger Things script from the Duffer Brothers, he thought the role of Eleven was meant for him.

With an absolutely serious and straight face, he explains:

"You know, when the Duffer Brothers sent me the script, I was really excited. I mean, I'm a hardcore '80s sci-fi type of guy. So rarely do you connect so deeply with a role. This silent strength, coupled with vulnerability—seeing this person change over the course of eight episodes—clearly, I had a very strong vision for this character."

And then wearing wires on his head like Eleven in the lab, he bleeds from the nose, crushes a soda can with “psychic” fury (read: hands). Then he screams at the standing fans like a possessed man. It’s Eleven, if Eleven were a middle-aged man without any chill.

Harbour leans into the bit hard. He even throws a cheeky jab at Millie Bobby Brown’s way by claiming his Eleven had an extra dimension.

"Yeah, sure, the Duffer Brothers never specifically asked me to audition for Eleven, but I think I added a dimension to the character that, you know... I don’t think it’s in the final finished product.

I was putting pure gold on that tape, and... look, I’m not bitter. I mean, Millie did an okay job playing Eleven, you know. But my Eleven was..."

He signs off with:

“I’m Eleven now, b*tch.”

The sketch is hilarious. If this alternate reality existed where David Harbour did play Eleven, Stranger Things would have been a very, very different show. Maybe more dad jokes? Who knows!

But luckily for us, we got the best of both worlds. Millie Bobby Brown’s hauntingly powerful Eleven, and David Harbour’s iconic Hopper, who's all gruffy yet tender and almost always ready to punch a Demogorgon in the face.

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