Credit: NetflixMillie Bobby Brown has been publicized and talking about for over eight years now after she stunned audiences with her role in Stranger Things. In 2016, the world was introduced to Eleven, the Eggo-eating telekinetic powered girl who would meet a bunch of young boys, whom she would team up to save the world with, over and over and over.
Brown’s role in Stranger Things originated without much script on the page for the actress, as speaking and socializing was not what she was taught growing up, but rather, was studied for her powers. Even though Millie was not saying a lot, her on-screen presence hypnotized everyone on screen.
While Eleven may have shown up to Hawkings alone, she quickly found her people.
The cast includes Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, the group’s leader; Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, a clever and loyal friend; Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, a pragmatic and resourceful member to the group; and Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, who goes missing and becomes linked to the supernatural realm known as the Upside Down.
Winona Ryder portrays Joyce Byers, Will’s determined mother, while David Harbour plays Jim Hopper, the town’s police chief entangled in the town’s eerie events. Natalia Dyer portrays Nancy Wheeler, Mike’s older sister, and Charlie Heaton takes on the role of Jonathan Byers, Will’s older brother.
Joe Keery stars as Steve Harrington, initially depicted as a popular high school student who later becomes an integral part of the group, and Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield, a newcomer to town who joins the friends. Maya Hawke appears as Robin Buckley, a Scoops Ahoy employee who gets involved in unraveling the town’s mysteries.
Throughout the series, these characters navigate through supernatural occurrences, government cover-ups, and personal challenges, forming tight bonds as they confront the unknown together.
The Duffer brothers created show certainly follows a very strong ensemble cast, allowing the actors to lean onto each other, and not placing one specific actor so much higher above the others in terms of importance and screen time.
Now, that acting style is what is proving to be the challenge for Millie’s next project that will debut onto Netflix this year, covering up the desire that Stranger Things fans have for a fifth season, which is Damsel.
As noted by Netflix, “If you’re suffering from Eleven withdrawal, fear not: In Oscar-nominated filmmaker Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s Damsel, Millie Bobby Brown is entering a different kind of Upside Down. As the determined and courageous Elodie, Brown flips the script on the traditional fairy tale as a princess whose happily ever after is brutally interrupted when her Prince Charming sacrifices her to a dragon. Forget what you’ve heard about tales that begin with “Once upon a time…” — this damsel has only herself to rely on.
“She’s a damsel who doesn’t need to be saved,” Brown told Netflix. “She saves herself in many ways. It subverts what you expect: You’re expecting the prince to turn around and save her, and… no. Don’t wait for the prince.”
In Damsel, Brown portrays a dutiful young woman who finds herself in a perilous situation. Initially agreeing to marry a charming prince, she soon realizes it was a ruse. The royal family has deceived her, intending to sacrifice her to settle an age-old debt. Cast into a cave with a fearsome fire-breathing dragon, she must rely on her intelligence and determination to navigate the dangerous ordeal and emerge alive.
In a recent interview, Millie explained how this new role is extremely different from the united ensemble feeling that she had with Stranger Things.
“After I read the script, I remember thinking, ‘Wow, I’ve never done anything where I haven’t been able to share the load,'” Brown expressed.
The Stranger Things star compared her previous roles with her new one, saying, “Everything I do, I’m able to co-exist with someone else. With Stranger Things, I have wonderful castmates that I’m able to depend on. And then with Enola Holmes, I’m able to depend on Henry Cavill or Louis Partridge.”
“But with Damsel, it was this realization: ‘Oh my goodness, it’s just me. I have to be there every day, and I have to give myself fully every day,'” the two prime-time Emmy Awards nominees exclaimed.”
Brown has certainly made it well known that she is ready to hang up her role as Eleven, as noted by Deadline, “When you’re ready, you’re like, ‘All right, let’s do this. Let’s tackle this last senior year. Let’s get out of here,’” Brown, who was says. “Stranger Things takes up a lot of time to film and it’s preventing me from creating stories that I’m passionate about. So I’m ready to say, ‘Thank you, and goodbye.” Knowing this, it is not surprising to see that she was pulled in a direction that is much different than what she has experienced on set for five seasons.
At the moment, Brown and the rest of the cast are currently filming season five. We do not know too much on how the end of the show will play out, but we did recently confirm that Linda Hamilton was not only cast, but cast to play Eleven as her future self, which is interesting as a time jump will then have to occur.
Are you excited to see Damsel? Do you think Millie Bobby Brown will remain popular after Stranger Things?