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Stranger Things star David Harbour rants about capitalism after showing off infamous $7m Brooklyn brownstone decorated with extortionate French wallpaper
Stranger Things actor David Harbour has criticised capitalism and the "nuclear family structure" during an interview about his new HBO series, DTF St. Louis, just years after showcasing his lavish $7 million Brooklyn brownstone. Speaking to Next Best Picture's Matt Neglia, the 51-year-old said childhood memories of the 1997 film The Ice Storm shaped his belief that society enforces a binary, capitalist mindset in which people either live alone or retreat into an isolated family "castle" that shuts out the wider world. He said he instead longs for a more communal way of living built on friendship and mutual support.
The comments come roughly three years after Harbour and his former wife, singer Lily Allen, gave Architectural Digest a tour of their opulent Brooklyn townhouse, which featured French Zuber wallpaper costing between $60,000 and over $100,000 depending on room size, alongside a tiger-print media room and a Godfather-inspired kitchen. The four-storey property, with five bedrooms and four bathrooms, was originally listed for $8 million following the couple's split after four years of marriage, before eventually selling for $7 million in May.
In short
- Harbour criticises capitalism and nuclear family structures in new interview
- Comments follow past tour of his $7m Brooklyn brownstone
- Home featured pricey French wallpaper costing up to $100,000+
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Harbour’s comments can be read as a sincere criticism of social isolation and the pressure to treat private property and the nuclear family as the default sources of security. His own wealth does not by itself invalidate the case for more communal living, and speaking publicly about that aspiration may draw attention to alternatives based on friendship and mutual support.
The case against
The contrast between Harbour’s critique of capitalism and the display of an exceptionally expensive home can reasonably invite questions about whether his actions match his rhetoric. Critics may see the comments as easier to make from a position of great privilege, and argue that visible consumption weakens the credibility of a call to move beyond individual wealth and family privacy.
Explained simply
Capitalism is an economic system in which businesses and property are generally privately owned, while the “nuclear family” usually means parents and their children living as a household. David Harbour has said he favours a more communal way of living, with friends and neighbours offering support beyond the family home.
Harbour is an actor known for playing Jim Hopper in Stranger Things. He was formerly married to singer Lily Allen, and the couple once showed a magazine their Brooklyn townhouse, a large, expensively decorated home. The contrast between his comments and the house has drawn attention to questions about wealth, private property and how people choose to live.
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