The Absurd Reason Stranger Things Star David Harbour Was Passed Over For An X-Men Villain Role
Before Stranger Things made him a star, David Harbour nearly nabbed a villain role in X-Men Origins: Wolverine — only to lose it over a laughably ridiculous detail.
David Harbour once tried to be the Blob, and somehow got told he was too unhealthy to play, well, the Blob. Yes, that happened.
The setup
Back in 2009, with the X-Men franchise pivoting into prequels after three team movies, Fox and director Gavin Hood were stuffing fan favorites into X-Men Origins: Wolverine. One pick: Fred Dukes, aka the Blob, a hulking bruiser with near-indestructible skin. Harbour met for the role, fat suit and all on the table.
The joke that tanked it
Harbour tried to break the ice by lifting his shirt and cracking, 'I got your Blob right here!' The room did not laugh. Later, at a hotel sit-down, he was told the team loved him but worried about his health after seeing his belly.
'I just made a stupid joke.'
That meeting ended with Harbour recognizing the absurdity of being deemed too heavy to play Marvel's heavyweight.
'You are telling me I’m too fat to play The Blob?'
What happened next
He did not get the gig. Kevin Durand took Blob in Origins, while Harbour stacked up character parts, then landed Jim Hopper on Stranger Things. He eventually found his way into Marvel anyway as Alexei Shostakov, the Red Guardian, in Black Widow and the upcoming Thunderbolts*. Not the path he expected, probably the one he wanted.