David Harbour Lost 80 Pounds for Stranger Things 4 and Vows Never to Do That Again

August 2024 · 4 minute read

David Harbor revealed to GQ magazine that he lost 80 pounds in order to reprise the role of Jim Hopper in “Stranger Things 4.” While the character (and Harbour himself) became something of a sex symbol on social media for his “Stranger Things” dad bod, he shed all that extra weight in order to properly reflect Hopper’s imprisonment in Russia. The character is in jail for much of “Stranger Things 4” and not exactly eating well.

“I lost about 80 pounds from Season 3 — I was about 270 [then], and when we shot [Season 4] I was around 190,” Harbour said, adding that he relied on intermittent fasting and Pilates to shed the weight. “I don’t think I’ll ever do that again.”

Harbour said that he immediately worked to pack back on the pounds, adding, “I have this Santa Claus movie coming out for Universal in December [called ‘Violent Night’], and I gained [it all back]. But now, yeah, never again. The prosthetics are too good.”

Hopper’s dad bod look is something Harbour grew to appreciate over the course of the first three seasons of “Stranger Things.” Merriam Webster once went viral for tweeting an article about the phrase “dad bod” and including a clip of Harbour dancing in “Stranger Things” (via Insider).

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“I have a funny relationship with this dad bod thing,” Harbour told CNET soon after. “I sort of love it and the reason why I love it is actually very serious. I do think that in a certain way, I’ve become a bit of a sex symbol of our time.”

Harbour  added, “There are articles about people digging Hopper. But I’m also like a little big and a little chubby. I love the idea of real bodies on television. And I love the idea of making real people feel beautiful and loved.”

“Stranger Things 4” is now streaming on Netflix.

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