David Harbour shot to fame for his role in the Netflix blockbuster series 'Stranger Things', but the actor says he has no time for actors who partake in method acting.
The actor, who comes from a theatre acting background, said he briefly flirted with the idea of becoming a full method actor in his youth.
A Tony nominee prior to his breakout performance in 'Stranger Things', Harbour has acting chops but doubts the style of acting that is deployed by the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis, Marlon Brando and Christian Bale.
Harbour says he was trained in classical American method acting, and shared a story from his younger days as an aspiring actor.
"When I was younger — it’s so embarrassing — but I remember playing that famous Macbeth 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."
The CQ magazine interviewer retorted that Daniel Day-Lewis has seen tremendous success and 3 Oscar wins for his method acting, but Harbour says the Irishman's methods are "nonsense."
"He’s an extraordinary actor who I’m captivated and fascinated by, but when he explains his process it sounds like nonsense to me."
Harbour joins fellow thespian Mads Mikkelsen in dismissing the craft of method acting, with the Danish actor saying in April he found the acting style "pretentious."
In the same interview, Harbour recalls calling acting friend Ryan Reynolds for advice following the poor box office performance of 'Hellboy' in 2019.
"I called him and I was like, 'Hey man, I just need to know something. You know 'Green Lantern'? Huge flop for you. What the fuck is that like, because I think I’m going to hit that right now. Am I gonna be okay? Am I gonna survive this?"
The latest season of 'Stranger Things' has been a smash hit for Netflix, with the show attaining it's highest rating figures yet.
Season 4 of the hit sci-fi show has introduced fans to the music of Kate Bush and Metallica, and Harbour said he "loved" the ending.
"I thought it was great. I loved it. It’s very moving," before adding 'I don’t know what the fuck is gonna happen in season five now!"