David Harbour is no stranger to venturing into the supernatural Upside Down world as beloved character Chief of Police Jim Hopper in Stranger Things, but this time the tables have turned—playing the ghost, Ernest, in Christopher Landon’s upcoming horror-comedy film We Have a Ghost, appearing on Netflix screens February 24th.

Based on the short story “Ernest” by Geoff Manaugh, We Have a Ghost is an action-packed, modern-day twist exploring nostalgia, unlikely friendships, and the unbreakable bonds of family after the Presley family (Anthony Mackie, Jahi Winston, Erica Ash, Niles Fitch) learns their new house is haunted by a ghost named Ernest (Harbour), and in result, become overnight social media sensations. The film also stars Jennifer Coolidge, Tig Nataro, and Isabella Russo.
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David Harbour Chats With MovieWeb About His ‘Scariest’ Role Yet

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Nicki Sun: It is my great honor to be in conversation with We Have A Ghost’s— the Ghost— David Harbor. How are you today?

David Harbour: I’m good. How are you?

Sun: Fantastic. You mentioned to Christopher [Landon] that the role of Ernest scared the s*** out of you, and I just wanted to know why?

Harbour: Is that what he said? Is that what he said? Yeah, it’s true. I mean, I’ve never played a role where I was a big part, but I had no lines, you know, I played very small parts with no lines, but this was— I was on-screen a lot and I didn’t have anything to say. So it just was something where I had to take out a whole new set of tools out of the toolbox to reveal character, and I didn’t know if I was capable of doing that. You know, I didn’t know if I could convey and reveal these things without saying things. And so it was real scary in the beginning. But Chris was a great, you know, Chris was a really great supportive director and really helped me a great deal.

Related: How the We Have a Ghost Trailer Introduces Audiences to David Harbour as a Good-Natured Spirit

Sun: Chris did say that you were the perfect person to play this role because you are so expressive without any dialogue. And for someone who is normally so vocal, beloved, might I say, for being so vocal about current issues, was it difficult for you not to be able to say anything and did you learn anything from that challenge of playing a ghost?

David Harbour Had a ‘Real Gift in Jahi’ as Primary Scene Partner

Harbour: Yeah, I mean, you know, it was difficult, but once I got a handle on it, and we started playing it, I found it very liberating as well. You could focus on different things, and you could really rely on your observation and on your scene partner a lot more. I had a real gift in Jahi as my primary scene partner. I think that kid is quite extraordinary. So it was challenging, but ultimately, uh, very exciting and rewarding.

Related: Netflix’s We Have a Ghost: Plot, Cast, Release Date, and Everything Else We Know

Sun: What was the proudest moment you pulled off in the film?

Harbour: I mean, I just like the progression of what happens with me and Jahi throughout the movie. Like to go from this unexpected kid that he meets to their bond as the film grows, I thought was really special. And that was, you know, both of us that created that.

The Comb Over for Ernest’s Look Was David Harbour’s Idea

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Sun: Absolutely. And my last question is— let’s talk about the comb over for Ernest’s look. Was that your idea?

Harbour: Yeah, it was. Yeah. I like that cause I wanted him to be, you know, so much— like I’m in my forties and I dress like a, you know, kid. I mean, I feel like nowadays adults don’t dress like they did back in those days where it’s like you saw a 40-year-old man back then, and he looked very different than a 40-year-old man does today. And I think that was part of the comb over was I wanted him to have this feeling like he was not of this time. He was of a different time. There was something about that comb over that felt very specific to me of these guys who you know are just of a different era.

Sun: Well thank you so much and even though you didn’t have dialogue, you still were personally my favorite character of the film. I’m so excited for everybody to catch you in a different role in We Have a Ghost. Thank you, David.

Harbour: Thank you.

We Have a Ghost will be available on Netflix on February 24th.