David Harbour’s Shocking Act When He Thought Stranger Things Would Fail!

You might not remember, but back in 2016, no one really believed in Stranger Things. Not even David Harbour. “David Harbour was probably the least confident that the show would be a hit,” Matt Duffer, co-creator of the series, amusingly told Radio Times.

It’s quite telling: David Harbour, who plays Sheriff Jim Hopper from episode one, was so discouraged that he made a radical decision.

Shut In and Shaved Head

“He loved making the series, and he was proud of it, but he was disheartened by the lack of subway ads that Netflix had put up,” Matt Duffer explained with a laugh. What did Harbour do? He locked himself in his apartment, turned off the internet, and… shaved his head. A desperate move – reminiscent of Britney Spears in 2007 – that speaks volumes about his state of mind at the time.

The early days of Stranger Things were anything but triumphant. “We were failures. Complete failures,” Matt Duffer admitted. “Before this, we faced nothing but setbacks. We thought it would continue.” Even his brother Ross Duffer agreed: “None of us had tasted success. We were a bit of an odd group.“

The original script, titled Montauk, was rejected “15 to 20 times” before director Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum, Deadpool & Wolverine) decided to take a chance on these unknown young creators. But even once the series was ready to air, no one was betting on it… Yes, almost ten years later, that seems incredible.

A Phenomenal Success

“When we were working on Season 1, we didn’t expect there to be a Season 2,” Matt Duffer confessed. While Winona Ryder was indeed a star in the 90s, the rest of the cast consisted of mostly unknowns and child actors, not exactly reassuring for Hollywood.

And yet. Despite a slow start in the first few weeks, Season 1 became a word-of-mouth phenomenon that blossomed into a cultural juggernaut. The series went viral, drawing massive fanbases and viewership worldwide.

The show’s success is measured by its impressive expansion: over a billion hours of viewing for Season 4, 15 million Funko Pop figures sold featuring both heroes and monsters, and sold-out shows on Broadway and in London’s West End.

David Harbour can now let his hair grow back in peace.

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