David Harbour says it's 'terrifying' how much people love his young 'Stranger Things' costars: 'They just want to eat them up'

• David Harbour said that he feels "protective" of his younger "Stranger Things" costars.
• The Netflix series provided breakouts for many of its young cast members, like Millie Bobby Brown.

David Harbour said that he feels "protective" of his younger "Stranger Things" costars like Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard, who became extremely famous at a young age due to the Netflix series.

In an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment tied to his newest film "Violent Night," Harbour spoke about his relationship with the show's young cast, and his worry for them given their high profiles.

"I have such a protective quality 'cause I know them as kids and I know them as just little actors who were on set," Harbour told the publication. "And then to see the world just fall in love with them to the point where they just want to eat them up is terrifying. So I worry about them."

The Netflix series provided breakout roles for many of its younger cast members like Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, and Caleb McLaughlin, as well as Harbour himself in the role of Jim Hopper. When the show premiered, Brown was only 12 years old, with many of the show's other young stars in their preteens and early teens.

Harbour has previously expressed his fears for his castmates, telling The Los Angeles Times' "The Envelope" podcast that he was grateful he hadn't become famous until he was in his 40s. He said on the podcast that he thought it was extremely difficult "mentally and psychologically" to become so famous at the age of 11, and that he didn't think that his younger costars would ever know what it was like to live a normal life.

"I'm thrilled that they are embraced for their talent," he told Yahoo! Entertainment. "But it's a scary thing to watch a young psyche have to deal with the kind of crap that like, even as a 40-year-old man, is difficult to deal with. When I feel protective of them, it's just very tricky."