Stranger Things star David Harbour reveals truth about 34kg weight loss

Stranger Things star David Harbour lost a huge amount of weight between seasons – but he admits his body is struggling.

Stranger Things actor David Harbour has opened up about his dramatic season four slimdown on the show, revealing he lost more than 34kg to portray his character’s physical transformation.

Harbour, 47, plays Jim Hopper in the hit Netflix sci-fi series. In a new Instagram post, the actor revealed some of the hard work behind his body transformation, explaining that he worked with a trainer for an initial eight months to lose the weight, and then another year to maintain his new body through the pandemic.

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David Harbour in Stranger Things season three (top) and season four (bottom).

“All told it was a difficult and exciting ride, changing diet and exercise plans (or lack thereof),” he wrote, explaining that he would do an Instagram Live later this week to answer fans’ questions about his fitness regimen.

He also shared the result of all his efforts: A shirtless photo from the first day of shooting, with black X marks on his torso to add in his character’s CGI scarring. Harbour said he weighed in at just over 120kg while shooting season three of the show, and had got down to 86kg when filming began for season four.

Harbour shared this photo from the first day of shooting season four.

But he said his body was feeling the toll after he had to put weight back on for his next role: playing Santa Claus in an upcoming Christmas film.

“Recently ballooned up again to play jolly ol’ St Nick in a flick I can’t wait for you to see this holiday season, so I am struggling to fight back down towards a good weight for wherever Hopper ends up in season five,” he wrote.

Harbour revealed he then had to put weight back on for his next film role – playing Santa. Picture: AFP

“All this up and down is not good for the body, and I’ll have to give it up soon, but it is such a fun part of the job to live in a different version of your skin for a while.”

Stranger Things has been a runaway success for Netflix, with the fourth season of the supernatural series recently crossing the billion hours watched mark, a feat only the wildly popular Korean drama Squid Game had previously managed for the streaming service.

And the series’ popularity is extending far beyond Netflix: British singer Kate Bush’s 1985 classic Running Up That Hill has become a surprise global hit single, 37 years after its release, thanks to its prominent use in the series. It currently sits atop the ARIA singles chart for a fifth week.

Originally published as Stranger Things star David Harbour reveals truth about 34kg weight loss