David Harbour has a lot of questions to answer about Stranger Things 3, but first things first — what happened to his beard?? For the past few years, David, 44, has sported a pretty impressive beard (and later, a mustache) to play Chief Hopper, but when he appeared on the October 7 episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers it was gone! David looked almost unrecognizable without his now-signature facial hair, which he has kept throughout his non-Stranger Things projects, and especially now that he has a new hairstyle, too. Free from the restraints of 1980s Indiana, David sported shoulder-length, slicked back hair instead of his usually coifed mop. What a difference! Fear not if you’re missing the beard, though; he has it back for Black Widow, according to the poster.
If you didn’t watch Stranger Things‘ third season (where were you?), then spoiler alert: Hopper died, sacrificing himself so that the portal to the Upside Down could be closed, saving Joyce, the kids, and all of Hawkins. It turns out, that like the rest of us, David doesn’t know if he’s the mysterious “American” referenced in the post-credits scene following the season’s last episode. Nobody’s filled him in! “I was like, ‘Oh, clearly I’m the American,’” David told Seth Meyers when asked if Hopper’s actually still alive. “And then I haven’t gotten many phone calls.”
So, they came up with a solution — FaceTime show creators the Duffer Brothers (Ross and Matt) right then and there. They’re obviously confused. “I’ll let you guys answer to the camera, but the question is — am I dead? Is Hopper dead?” David asks before turning the phone toward the audience. “We’re still figuring it out, man,” Ross says, laughing. “You guys are a ton of help,” David replies. “Really wonderful work, good luck with season four. Love you guys, love you, bye,” he says before hanging up. So, we’re right back to square one. Is Hopper the “American,” or not?
Stranger Things 4 was announced on Twitter, but there’s no word yet on when the season will premiere, or what it will center on. The only thing we know for sure is that “we’re not in Hawkins anymore,” according to the teaser. Remember that in the season finale (spoiler again), Eleven gets taken in by Joyce following Hopper’s death, and the family, including Will and Jonathan, move out of town for a fresh start.
