David Harbour shared a humorous moment from the set of Stranger Things where a single line caused him to break character repeatedly. During filming of season 3, Harbour struggled to deliver a particular line while acting alongside Finn Wolfhard and Millie Bobby Brown, creating a memorable and amusing experience.
Unexpected Difficulty Delivering a Key Line
The actor, known for playing Jim Hopper, recalled a scene involving his character talking to Mike and Eleven, played by Wolfhard and Brown respectively. Harbour explained that the line “It’s your grandma” unexpectedly made him laugh uncontrollably during shooting. Despite usually staying professional and focused, this moment had him breaking character for nearly an hour.
He described the exchange on set where he tells Finn Wolfhard’s character to leave, saying,
“You got to get home because I don’t want him in bed with my daughter.”
When Finn asks why, Harbour delivers the line, “It’s your grandma,” which triggered his laughter. His inability to say the line properly caused some frustration among the young actors trying to complete the scene efficiently.
Harbour’s Playful Moment Despite Usual Professionalism
Although Harbour is generally disciplined during filming, he admitted this instance was a rare exception.
“If you watch [the] behind the scenes of season 3, I’m sitting there with Finn and Millie on the bed and I say to Finn — I’m very angry at Finn and I’m like, ‘You got to get home because I don’t want him in bed with my daughter.’ And I’m like, ‘You got to get home.’ And he goes, ‘Why? What’s the matter?’ And I go, ‘It’s your grandma,’”
David explained.
He continued,
“And I just, for some reason, that particular line, I couldn’t say it for like an hour,”
followed by,
“And I laughed and laughed and laughed to the point where the children, Millie and Finn, were like, ‘What is wrong with you? We need to get to work.’”
Despite the disruption, Harbour apologized to Wolfhard and Brown, who were quite young at the time of filming.
A Fond Memory Amid Professional Work
Harbour said that this experience remains one of his favorite memories on set because it was so out of character for him.
“If you watch that thing, that really is probably one of my favorite memories because I’m a pretty responsible guy when I go to work, but I was very, very irresponsible that day,”
he shared. “And yeah, it was amazing.”
Aside from reminiscing about the funny incident, Harbour recently reunited warmly with Millie Bobby Brown during the world premiere of Stranger Things season 5, which will launch with its first four episodes on November 26. This reunion highlights the ongoing connection among the cast as the series continues to captivate audiences.
