Stranger Things star David Harbour doesn't want to be tied to the Netflix show forever, saying he's giving up TV acting altogether once it wraps.
Speaking to Insider, Harbour said he loves the Hopper character that made him famous but, following the success of Violent Night, he would rather work on original films that premiere in theatres.
"I’ve been on Netflix, but this was a small original movie that’s going to a cinema,” Harbour said of Violent Night. "A whole new world opened up for me with that. I like this playing field. I want to make original movies that go to the movie theatres."
He continued: "It’s a funny position I’m in, which I never thought I would be in. The first year of Stranger Things, I remember having a discussion with a publicist and her saying: ‘Maybe you don’t want to be associated with the show so much.'
"I was like, ‘Why? I love this show. I love the character.’ And I do love the show. And I do love the character. But I don’t want to be just that character. I don’t want to be just that guy."
Harbour compared himself to George Clooney during his time playing Doug Ross on medical drama series ER, saying the now incredibly successful and famous film star was once just "the guy from ER".
"I'm trying to navigate some of that, and it’s tricky because you don’t want to s**t on the people that love you for this thing that you did that you also love," Harbour added.
"But at the same time, you kind of want to leave the nest. I got more in me. I got different stuff in me, and I want you guys to see that. I don’t want people yelling ‘Hopper’ on the street every five minutes the rest of my life."
The actor has spoken of his readiness for Stranger Things to end before, saying in February it's a bittersweet moment but he and the rest of the cast have "all grown up".
Harbour's next film role comes in Gran Turismo, an racing drama adaptation of the video game. In our 6/10 review, IGN said: "This adaptation of the best-selling PlayStation franchise is fun enough, when it's not trying to sell you a video game you probably already own."
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
