The ‘Stranger’ success story
WHETHER it’s Stranger Things executive producer Matt Duffer praising her on-set technical knowledge, co-star David Harbour extolling her emotional intelligence, or casting director Sarah Finn explaining why she selected her for the next instalment in the Godzilla film franchise, even the most seasoned industry pro marvels at the young actor’s preternatural ability.
Millie Bobby Brown, 13, has never trained professionally as an actor or taken an acting class. She simply decided at age eight that she wanted to be on-screen, and her parents obliged, moving her and her siblings from Bournemouth in England to Orlando, Florida, to allow her to pursue her dream.
“It was like a bug,” she says. “I know this sounds crazy, but once I find something I want to do, nobody’s stopping me.”
Her path to stardom wasn’t immediate: she secured a few guest star spots here and there, in shows such as Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Modern Family and Grey’s Anatomy. She got turned down for Logan, which eventually went to Dafne Keen. But it was the role of Eleven in Netflix’s sleeper hit that catapulted her to fame.
“I felt at one point I couldn’t do it any more, but then I got this and everything changed,” she says. “Now, acting is like breathing.”
To say the past year of her life has been a roller-coaster would imply that there have been dips. In fact, it’s been nothing but a steady climb since the July 2016 bow of Stranger Things. Her Instagram followers ballooned from 25 to 4.2 million; the cast won best ensemble at the SAG Awards and best drama at the PGA Awards; and she claimed a trophy at the MTV Movie & TV Awards for best actor in a TV show, with an emotional acceptance speech that won her even more accolades for its honesty.
And with season two of Stranger Things now streaming, she wrapped production on the next instalment of the Godzilla franchise opposite Kyle Chandler and Vera Farmiga.
Then there’s that Emmy nomination for supporting actress in a drama. “It was a true honour and privilege to be representing the young generation,” she says. Although she went home on Emmy night empty-handed, she took things in her stride, happy to simply enjoy the evening out with her merry band of co-stars.
It was all about the Look. Fans of Stranger Things know it well: when Eleven lowers her chin and glares defiantly at whoever – or whatever – is in her path.
It was in her audition for the role that she came up with that intense laser-beam stare – and nailed the part. She was 11 at the time. “I’ve never forgotten it, because it was so intuitive,” recalls executive producer Shawn Levy.
“That this little person had such fierce power – that’s what took me aback. That same day the Duffers [brothers Matt and Ross, who created the show] and I knew she was the one.” In the Stranger Things universe, Eleven – so-called because of the tattoo she wears – is a product of psychological experiments by Dr Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine) that infused her with telekinetic abilities, among other supernatural powers. Because of her years of isolation under Brenner’s watch, her vocabulary is rather limited. Millie wasn’t intimidated by the role of Eleven being mostly non-verbal. “You can talk with your face,” she says. “It’s very easy for someone to say, ‘I’m mad. I’m sad. I’m angry’. I have to just do it with my face.” Nor did she mind shaving her head. Millie’s parents were more against it than she was, but it helped that Mad Max: Fury Road was out at the time. Matt Duffer recalls persuading her with the argument “Doesn’t Charlize look badass? You’re going to look badass too.” What did cause a bit of on-set drama was The Kiss – the moment when Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Eleven smooch in the season-one finale. Further complicating matters, it seems there’s some debate over whether she was Wolfhard’s first smooch. “He says I wasn’t, but I definitely think I was. I think he was just trying to be cool.”