'NONSENSE': 'Stranger Things' star David Harbour doesn't agree with Daniel Day-Lewis' method acting

'Not only is that method acting stuff silly, it’s dangerous, and it actually doesn’t produce good work,' said David Harbour
PUBLISHED JUL 8, 2022
David Harbour talks about not liking Daniel Day-Lewis method acting approach, citing it as ‘nonsense’ (Roy Rochlin, Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
David Harbour talks about not liking Daniel Day-Lewis method acting approach, citing it as ‘nonsense’ (Roy Rochlin, Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

David Harbour is a versatile star who has been garnering accolades and applauses for his performance as Jim Hopper in the critically and commercially hit series, ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4. The series has been created and conceptualized by the Duffer Brothers. After enjoying accolades and rave reviews from fans and critics, in a recent interview, David Harbour has finally spoken about what he thinks about the rising popularity of method acting.

In his recent interview with GQ magazine, he called out the legendary star Daniel Day-Lewis for using this method acting approach. Praising the star but not liking his approach to acting, Harbour said, “He’s an extraordinary actor who I’m captivated and fascinated by. But when he explains his process it sounds like nonsense to me.”

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Talking about how he is not new to the method acting approach and is well acquainted with the style, Harbour said, “I’m very much trained in classical American method acting.”

Also sharing an insight on how it can be dangerous and doesn’t actually work, Harbour added, “When I was younger it’s so embarrassing but I remember playing that famous Scottish King. And being like, ‘I’m gonna kill a cat’ or something: ‘I’m gonna go murder something to know what it feels like to murder.’ I didn’t actually do it, obviously. Not only is that method acting stuff silly, it’s dangerous, and it actually doesn’t produce good work.”

Not many people know this but Daniel Day-Lewis is known for never giving a bad or flop performance and he has credited his gruelling preparation for it. Right from being spoonfed and moved around in a wheelchair whilst essaying the character affected with cerebral palsy in ‘My Left Foot’ to actually scavenging and hunting for food while filming ‘The Last of the Mohicans’, Lewis is really well renowned as a method actor for taking extreme measures to get into the skin of his character. This included living and being like his character even on sets. He even refused to wear a proper coat on the set of 'Gangs of New York', arguing that his character couldn’t afford the luxury and ended up catching pneumonia.

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'Stranger Things' Season 4 Volume 2 has been one of the biggest global hits that Netflix has seen in this year. The Duffer brothers have not disappointed the fans as they’ve given a well-conceptualized and masterpiece supernatural series which has a perfect mix of horror, drama, sci-fi, emotionally evolving backdrop of all main characters who have evolved from past four seasons till now. There is a constant threat of Vecna who has come to turn their lives into a living nightmare. The story of Eleven and her friends that battle it out with menacing monster Vecna was really intriguing which kept us all hooked to our screens. We saw their race against time in order to save each other from weird realm of Upside Down where Vecna resides. They unite their powers and forces to save their town of Hawkins from turning sinister and much darker due to Vecna’s trials of killing people and their group which always fails his plans.

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