Millie Bobby Brown is No Longer Eleven from 'Stranger Things', Director Confirms

If you have been waiting to see Millie Bobby Brown break out of her role as Eleven in the hit series Stranger Things, Netflix’s Damsel has you covered.

In Oscar-nominated filmmaker Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s Damsel, Millie Bobby Brown embarks on a journey into a unique realm akin to the Upside Down. Cast as the resolute and bold Elodie, Brown redefines the conventional fairy tale narrative. Instead of the typical princess awaiting her happily ever after, Elodie’s story takes a dark turn when her Prince Charming betrays her, offering her as a sacrifice to a fearsome dragon. Gone are the clichés of tales that begin with “Once upon a time…”—in this narrative, the damsel must rely solely on her own strength and courage.

“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.”

Now, director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo is speaking out, confirming that this is an all-new Millie, and not the same girl yo have seen using her telekinetic powers eating Eggo waffles.

Speaking to GamesRadar+ and the Inside Total Film podcast, Juan said, “The idea that she is a young, beautiful woman who turns into a fighter, we needed to share that in a different way,” he says. “I thought that the best way to do that is showing the intensity of the transformation. That’s why there is a big section in the movie, which is the survival through the caves, that you see little by little how she’s getting rid of layers from her past. You’re seeing how she’s literally physically changing in this, she cuts her hair, she’s sweating, she’s bleeding, and I think that is something that is really important for the story.”

Fresnadillo describes Brown as the ideal actor to convey this narrative, highlighting that her portrayal is a culmination of her previous roles. Drawing from her experiences as Eleven in Stranger Things and her performance in Enola Holmes, Brown delivers a nuanced and multifaceted depiction in Damsel.

“The amazing thing that I have been seeing with her as she’s growing up [and] in her career is the fact that she’s becoming a real profound actress, and I noticed those values in the last works that she did,” he continues.

“This story is about the transformation of a young woman into a real independent woman, a fighter who is going to fight for herself, for her life. And Millie in the last year has been dropping those kinds of things in the works that she’s done, and I think it was time now to gather all those things that she’s been doing and put it into one single movie.”

Brown even commented on how this project is very different from others she has done in the past due to the loneliness that comes with the character. 

“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.”

Brown has made it clear that while she loves Stranger Things and Hawkings, she is ready to move on past her role of Eleven. She spoke about season 5 as being a senior in High School, stating that she is ready to “get out.” I mean, how many times does one have to fight the demons of the Upside Down. One final duel with Vecna should be enough.

Right now, Stranger Things season 5 is filming; however, we know little about the storyline of the season.

One thing we do know is that 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. We will expect to see Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, Winona Ryder portrays Joyce Byers, David Harbour as Jim Hopper, Natalia Dyer portrays Nancy Wheeler, Charlie Heaton takes on the role of Jonathan Byers, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield, and Maya Hawke appears as Robin Buckley return.

The Duffer brothers told Collider in July 2022 that they have confidence in the show’s ending, which they’ve already planned.

“We do feel good about the ending,” Matt Duffer said. “I was like, okay, I think this ending is not… I’m not super insecure. I’m insecure about a lot of things, but I feel like this ending feels good.”

Ross Duffer told the publication that the final 20 minutes of the series were “locked in.”

For now,  we will likely have to wait until at least 2025 for the final series to make it to Netflix. Damsel will be out on Netflix as of March 8, 2024.

Are you planning on watching Damsel?