-I want to say spoiler alert, but the reality is, like,
nobody really knows at the end of the last season of
"Stranger Things" and, obviously,
your beloved character.
It's actually not quite clear if you're dead or not, right?
So, I imagine if you know, you can't tell us.
Right? -Yeah.
-That's fair.
Do you -- But do you know? -Okay.
I knew this would come up.
This is the great thing about doing a late-night talk show.
-Yeah. -Yeah, so, okay.
Well, here's the thing.
I always knew that Hopper had to make a sacrifice.
Like, he's a jerk and, like, he also needs to --
he needs to pay for that in some way.
So he needs to do -- So, but, you know,
I thought he would make the sacrifice,
and then the script came out and -- Spoiler alert.
Like, you know, you don't want to know about this stuff,
I guess turn down the --
-Yeah. But also, like, try to keep up with
culture as it happens.
-Good advice. That's solid advice.
-I mean, there's just very few things we all watch,
and it would be nice if you joined us.
-But, anyway, at the end, you know,
the post-credit scene, there's this thing where
it's "the American," you know?
And I was like, "Oh, clearly I'm the American."
And then I haven't gotten many phone calls.
I...
-Because the Duffer Brothers -- they obviously know.
-Yeah. I mean, I think they're actually the only people
that do know.
-Gotcha. But they haven't hinted to you at all.
-No. -Yeah.
So you're sort of -- As an actor, you're in flux
is what you're saying.
-I mean, at this point, I am. -Yeah.
Are you going to call them? -You want to call them?
-Yeah, let's do it. [ Cheers and applause ]
-That's what I really like.
Let's show off the world that you got a loose one.
-I'll do one better. Let's FaceTime them.
-Okay, great.
This is the Duffer Brothers, the creators of "Stranger Things."
-It's ringing. -Okay.
[ Ringing ]
-Can we --
-Are they going to, like --
Are they going to pick up the -- Hey.
-Hey. [ Cheers and applause ]
-Hey, what's up? You're on the Seth Meyers show.
-Big fan. -What do you mean, like...
What do you mean? You're shooting it right now?
-Yeah, we're shooting the show right now.
What's up? -Why are you calling us?
-I have a question. I have a question.
What's up, Ross? -Yeah, turn it over there --
-Am I -- I'll let you guys answer to the camera,
but the question is -- am I dead?
Is Hopper dead?
-I mean, we're still figuring it out.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Would this sweeten the pot? [ Cheers and applause ]
-You guys are a ton of help. Thanks.
Really wonderful work. Good luck with Season 4.
Love you guys. Love you. Bye.
-Very nice. Very nice gentlemen. -Awful. Awful.
-Did you hit it off with them when you first met?
-Yeah. I mean, I love those guys.
They're, like -- I say this all the time, and they hate it.
That's why I continue to say it.
But they're, like, the biggest nerds I've ever met besides me.
I mean, I'm kind of a nerdy guy, too,
but they're just, like, little, geeky,
"Dungeons & Dragons," video-game-type guys.
And so we hit it off like gangbusters, yeah.
-And it was not originally called "Stranger Things"
when you got involved with the project.
-No. That was the first sort of rift between us, actually,
'cause I loved the script so much.
I mean, I love this show. -It's a fantastic show.
-It's a fantastic show.
I don't say that about -- I love the show.
So, the script is amazing, but, originally,
it was called "Montauk."
-Uh-huh.
-And I thought that was such a good title,
like, really strong and simple and like one word.
And it was set in Montauk.
And then they changed it to be set in the Midwest,
so they needed to change the title.
And they were, like -- They called me and they were like,
"We're going to call it 'Stranger Things.'"
And I was like, "That's the worst title I've ever heard."
It sounds like some stupid guy going like,
"Oh, I've heard stranger things."
Like, I mean, it sounds like a terrible idea
for a television show.
-Yeah, yeah. -And so I hated it.
And then I saw it in the font with the, like, music.
[ Vocalizes "Stranger Things" theme ]
And it's -- And it was awesome again.
-And then you realized -- Are you willing to admit now
it's a hundred times better than "Montauk"?
-No. No. -Yeah.
We were originally going to call this show "Amagansett."
But then the network was like,
"What about 'Late Night with Seth Meyers'?"
And I was like, "All right." -Eh, whatever.
-What's it like -- I mean, you know,
they've grown up, obviously, to some degree,
since you first start working with them.
But what's it like working with those -- you know,
a super-talented cast of kids you have on the show?
-Uh, it's a nightmare. -Yeah.
-No, they're -- I mean, look, they're beautiful kids,
but, I mean, you -- They're -- No, but, like,
what adult male wakes up in the morning --
like, I'm in my 40s -- and goes like,
"You know what I want to do today?
I want to hang out with like six 15-year-olds."
-Yeah.
-And I want to see, like, what they're like,
and, like, what they talk about,
and, like, what they're interested in.
And I want to get involved in conversations
that they're having about learning about themselves,
as 15-year-olds do.
I have been in some conversations where in the --
between them -- where, in the middle of the conversation,
I just have to walk away, 'cause I'm qualified
to speak about this, but I'm not going tell you.
-Yeah. Yeah, this is a journey you have to take
on your own.
-Exactly. I do not want to be involved.
-"I managed to find these answers
without the help of a 45-year-old man."
I'm so excited for you this week, man.
-Oh, thanks man. -It's going to be a blast.
-Yeah, I'm really excited, too. I mean, it's a dream come true.
I mean, I have to -- I want to say --
I actually do want to say hi to my mom,
because my mom is going through some stuff right now.
And she's sick, and I just --
It was something that my mom and I would talk about
when I was a kid, about, like, one day
hosting "Saturday Night Live."
-Oh, man.
Well, I hope she gets better soon.
And I can't wait for Saturday. Thanks so much for being here.
David Harbour, everybody.