David Harbour Says He Is 'Thrilled' to Return to “Stranger Things”: 'I'm Ready to Work' (Exclusive)

Production on the Netflix series' fifth and final season will start "as soon as possible," Harbour told PEOPLE

David Harbour is ready to return to Hawkins!

While attending the BoxLunch Holiday Gala, an event honoring Feeding America, in Los Angeles earlier this week, the actor, 48, told PEOPLE that he is “thrilled” to start working on Stranger Things again now that SAG-AFTRA’s strike has ended.

Harbour, who portrays Jim Hopper in the beloved Netflix show, says that he will be back in the Stranger Things saddle starting on Monday.

Related: 'Stranger Things' Cast: Everything to Know

“I mean, I don't know if we'll be shooting next week, but yeah, as soon as possible,” he told PEOPLE, adding that he heard from showrunners immediately after news of the strike's conclusion hit social media.

“They literally called me, I think it was 10 minutes after the SAG thing on Twitter,” he explained. “The first AD [assistant director] is like, ‘So, get the flight for you on Monday, right? We'll be acting in Atlanta.’”

The Gran Turismo actor added that he is excited to begin working on the series’ long-awaited fifth and final season.

“I'm thrilled with that. I'm ready to work,” he said. “I mean, there are other people that maybe aren't, but I am thrilled.”

Related: 'Stranger Things' Season 5: Everything to Know

Harbour also gave a glimpse into what his life looked like amid the historic strike.

“I mean, you have to ask my wife [Lily Allen], because I've been sitting on the couch depressed as hell. It's been bad,” he told PEOPLE.

He continued, “I mean, it's like what happened to me in the same way in COVID where you think to yourself like, ‘Oh, now I kind of have all this time,’ and then you just check your Google alerts every five minutes and are just neurotically insecure. So, I did nothing.”

“I mean, I maybe read half a book, watched a bunch of TV, and then now, I'm super excited to be back,” he added.

Related: All About the 'Stranger Things' Cast and Their Real-Life Partners

At the BoxLunch charity gala, Harbour — a giving ambassador for the brand — also chatted with PEOPLE about his relationship with Allen, 38.

The actor opened up about how his relationship with the musician was affected by the actors’ strike, saying, “Ultimately, it's very good because you get to know someone."

"But, let me tell you, my wife likes when I go to work because it's nice for her to have her life and me to have my life and for us not to just annoy each other by being around all the time," the Violent Night star, who wed Allen in 2020, said.

“We have these two kids, and it's so great,” Harbour added, referring to his stepchildren, Allen’s daughters Ethel, 11 and Marnie, 10, with her ex-husband Sam Cooper. “We get to raise them and stuff, and as our marriage continues, we grow closer and closer.”

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Since the WGA strike (which began months before SAG-AFTRA’s) halted production on the hit series’ final season in May, Harbour and his Stranger Things castmates have not shared much about the series — with the exception of star Millie Bobby Brown.

In October, the 19-year-old actress — who was just 12 years old when the show released in 2016 —  told Glamour that she is “ready” to leave Hawkins for good.

“When you’re ready, you’re like, ‘All right, let’s do this. Let’s tackle this last senior year. Let’s get out of here,'" she told the outlet.

"Stranger Things takes up a lot of time to film, and it’s preventing me from creating stories that I’m passionate about,” she continued. “So I’m ready to say, ‘Thank you, and goodbye.’”

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