‘Stranger Things’ Creators Reveal David Harbour Was ‘Second Choice’ to Billy Crudup for Hopper Role: ‘Everything Happens for a Reason’

May 18, 2026 7:13am PT ‘Stranger Things’ Creators Reveal David Harbour Was ‘Second Choice’ to Billy Crudup for Hopper Role: ‘Everything Happens for a Reason’

By Jennifer Maas

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Jennifer Maas

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“Stranger Things” could have been a whole different show if creators Matt and Ross Duffer had gotten their original casting choice for Chief Jim Hopper — and it’s not Josh Brolin.

During an interview with “Happy Sad Confused” host Josh Horowitz posted Monday, the Duffers are asked to reveal who their “first choice” was for Hopper on the Netflix series. David Harbour himself was the one to ask them in a pre-recorded question shared by Horowitz.

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