There Was Nothing Fake About Hopper's Head Shave In Stranger Things Season 4
"Stranger Things" season 4 was chock full of big moments. We learned about the origin of Eleven's (Millie Bobby Brown) powers, got a powerful performance from Sadie Sink as Max, remembered the majesty that is the music of Kate Bush with the song "Running Up That Hill," and more. On top of all of that, we also got a side plot where it's revealed that Hopper (David Harbour) is alive and in a Russian prison, complete with bruises and an on-camera head shave.
What you saw was not CGI. In fact, there was nothing fake about it at all. Harbour did get his head shaved on camera, and as you probably know, you can only do that once, so you'd better get it right. While it may not have been as dramatic as, say, Natalie Portman getting her head shaved in "V for Vendetta," it was still a dicey proposition for the actor doing the shaving.
'We only had one shot at it'
According to Insider, chief hair designer Sarah Hindsgaul had the "gulag barber" do some practice runs on other prison actors to ensure everything went smoothly on camera. She posted a video about it on Instagram, saying that a Lithuanian extra played the barber and practiced on "all of our other inmates before the big moment where Hopper gets his hair sheared off on screen." Harbour reposted the video and added, "We only had one shot at it." That might seem like small potatoes because it's just a buzz cut for a few guys, and they're supposed to look like prison haircuts. They're not supposed to be perfect. However, Hindsgaul learned something about these extras. She explained:
"As we were designing Russia, we knew that we wanted to show trauma on inmates shaved heads due to abuse suffered in these work camps. However, when we arrived in Lithuania, our local team of artists let us know that some of our BG may already have scars on their heads because they lived in Lithuania while it was occupied by the former Soviet Union. Furthermore, it could be potentially triggering to add such details onto our background cast and thus we should proceed with caution. This was an important lesson that was shared with us and one that we will carry on as we continue filmmaking."
Hindsgaul said that it was important to both understand and share what life was like under regimes like this but also to be sensitive to the people helping to tell the story in the first place.
"Stranger Things" seasons 1-4 are streaming on Netflix. The final season has paused production due to the WGA and SAG/AFTRA strikes.