David Harbour has said being a stepfather to his wife Lily Allen’s children has been “the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with” but their relationship is now “really, really special”.
The Stranger Things star, 47, married the British singer, 37, in Las Vegas in 2020 and helps look after Ethel Mary and Marnie Rose, Allen’s young daughters with ex-husband Sam Cooper.
He recently returned to TV screens as Jim Hopper in the fourth series of hit Netflix science fiction drama Stranger Things.
Pop star Allen, meanwhile, was recently nominated for an Olivier Award for her starring role in her West End debut, the new play 2:22 A Ghost Story.
Speaking to The Times, Harbour said: “Not only ‘well’, she got nominated for an Olivier award, holy shit! Yeah, she was terrified to do it. I was very encouraging of her to do it.”
Asked about his relationship with her children, he said: “I’ve learned a lot about myself. You really have to show up for other human beings in a truly selfless way.
“I was, like, ‘Whoa, this is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with.’ The relationship I have with them now is really, really special. But, you know, it takes time and effort.”
Harbour also addressed whether he tries to use his parental instincts to help guide the young stars of Stranger Things through their early fame.
He said: “Not really. I mean, I try my best. And there have been times when I’ve been more overly protective and times when I’ve been less.
“The best thing I can offer them is that I started this show when they were all kids. And I can still treat them like idiot kids.
“The world can’t, the world treats them like superstars. So I just try to love them and you know, let go and kind of treat them like idiots because no one else does.”