{"id":89429,"date":"2016-07-21T09:56:05","date_gmt":"2016-07-21T08:56:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/?p=89429"},"modified":"2016-07-21T09:56:05","modified_gmt":"2016-07-21T08:56:05","slug":"stranger-things-millie-bobby-brown-on-playing-eleven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/interviews\/stranger-things-millie-bobby-brown-on-playing-eleven\/","title":{"rendered":"Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown on playing Eleven"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’ve watched the Duffer Brothers’ Netflix show Stranger Things<\/em><\/strong> (and really, if you haven’t, what are you doing? Watch it, right now!), you will have been struck by how amazing the performances of the young actors are. The characters of Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Will (Noah Schnapp) are brilliantly brought to life, but the show’s breakout character is arguably the mysterious, taciturn and powerful Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown.<\/p>\n

We got the chance to talk to the young star about the challenges of playing a mostly silent character, the physical preparation required and watching scary movies with Winona Ryder.<\/p>\n

How did you get involved in Stranger Things<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was in London at the time and I got an audition. They said to me, “There\u2019s this show coming out, it\u2019s called Montauk<\/em><\/strong>, it stars Winona Ryder, you can audition, it sounds good, there\u2019s not a lot of information about your character yet but there are some sides, read them, go over them, see how you feel!” “OK, sounds good, Winona Ryder, a legend!”<\/p>\n

At the audition I said, “I really like this one.” It\u2019s so weird and I thought “Eleven, what a strange name,” I wanted to know more. When I actually went for the screen test in London for the Duffers and Shawn\u00a0Levy and the other producers, I was like “This is great!” I didn\u2019t even know it was called Stranger Things<\/em><\/strong> at the time, I thought it was Montauk<\/em><\/strong>. I read the script with them, I met Finn Wolfhard who played Mike, and I was like “I love this now, I really want this to be mine.” And then, I went back to the hotel and my dad said, “Listen, there\u2019s a phone call on the other line! Do you want to take it?” I was like “OK, sure!” And it was the Duffers telling me that I was their Eleven!<\/p>\n

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Was there much information about who the character was? The first few episodes don’t give much away!<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, not at all! They didn\u2019t tell me much! All I knew was that her name was Eleven, she was very emotional and she loved Mike. And I had so many lines in the dummy sides, I was so excited! I love learning lines, as soon as I look at a script I know it, and then I went to the read-through and…wow\u2026I have no lines!<\/p>\n

In the trailer, when I say \u201cHiding\u2026\u201d I remember that day, I was with the Duffers and they came up to me and said \u201cMillie, you know, you have a line today!\u201d It was literally like a Christmas present, I was so excited that I had a line! And I really give credit to the Duffers because they really envisioned what they wanted for that character. I didn\u2019t have to speak much but I really had to portray through my face and my emotions what my character had to do.<\/p>\n

How challenging was that, to play a character that’s so important but doesn’t say much?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was actually quite challenging because you have to talk through your face. And when you have to talk through your face you\u2019re like \u201cHow am I going to do this?\u201d Saying \u201cOh well, she\u2019s sad, she\u2019s confused, she misses someone.\u201d So I thought, who do I miss?<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t know much about the character but I knew that, although she didn\u2019t talk, she really emotionally and physically talked through her body language. I don\u2019t like to watch myself on screen but it\u2019s amazing to see how it came out, the way the Duffers edited it is amazing.<\/p>\n

I remember one day I had this really emotional scene where I had to say goodbye to someone and I was like, “This is emotional!” I didn\u2019t know what to do, and I remember I said “I can\u2019t!” I was going back and forth from school and I was emotionally drained. But Matthew Modine is such an amazing actor and to work with him\u00a0was\u00a0amazing. I\u2019ve watched him in some movies but to work with him in real life was amazing. We went out to dinner together, we did so much fun stuff together.<\/p>\n

It was exciting to channel that intense vibe, that inner sensitivity and emotional side of my character, and I do have that physical, don\u2019t mess with me side, bad-arse!<\/p>\n

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At what point did you know that you’d have to shave your head?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I had no idea that I would have to shave all my hair off until Ross Duffer came up to me at the screen test and put his hand over my head going [electric razor noise]\u00a0I was like “I don\u2019t know what that means!” “We\u2019re going to shave all your hair off!” I called my mum after the audition and she said, “You\u2019re not doing it, that\u2019s wrong, they can\u2019t do that to you, you have beautiful long hair!”<\/p>\n

I was like “Mum, let\u2019s just cut it off, it grows back, it\u2019s not permanent and I need to show how much I\u2019m involved with this character and how much I\u2019m involved with the show.” I wanted the best for the show and if that\u2019s what I had to do, then that\u2019s what I had to do!<\/p>\n

Shaving my hair, it threw me off a little bit. I had quite long hair, but I thought, “No, society\u2019s telling people that girls have long hair, boys have short hair.” I didn\u2019t want to rebel, but I thought, “I\u2019ve got to change something, I\u2019ve got to make sure that everybody knows that it\u2019s OK to have short hair,” because it is! It\u2019s fine! Yes, I get called a boy quite a lot but I don\u2019t care! I love this show and I put all my hard work into it, so yes, I might be called a boy on and off, and yes, my brother calls me Dave! But it doesn\u2019t matter! I don\u2019t mind, I think Eleven\u2019s character has a place in my heart now! It\u2019s just hair, it grows back!<\/p>\n

The show’s got such a strong personality, did it feel like the Duffers had a very clear idea of what they wanted on set?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, of course. At my audition for it, they knew exactly what they wanted, because they wrote this in\u00a02012. And I was like “They know what they want and I just hope that I\u2019m the thing that they need!” So I did my best and when I got the job, I thought\u00a0“This is it, I\u2019ve got to do this now, for them and for myself and for the show. This is going to be great.”<\/p>\n

So I was really excited and when we were shooting, I thought “Wow, they know what they want,” but I think [casting director] Carmen Cuba is absolutely amazing, she knew what the Duffers wanted, and when she cast us we each gave our own bit. We got to say “We want to do it this way because we don\u2019t think that we would do that” and\u00a0when we collaborate like that, with Shawn Levy or the Duffers, it\u2019s really fun. That\u2019s what I like to do with acting, where we collaborate or have ideas, it really is just magic. With a good script and with a good cast, with a good storyline, directors and crew, we can make magic.<\/p>\n

Finally, what\u00a0was it like working with Winona Ryder?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Winona\u2019s just a phenomenal, amazing actress!\u00a0We have a really good friendship, and because she was a child actress and she cut her hair, and I\u2019m a child actress and I cut my hair, I think we just have so much in common. We love to watch movies; she doesn\u2019t like scary films so I have to sit with her!<\/p>\n

Stranger Things is now streaming on Netflix. Read our interview with the Duffers here<\/a>, our review here<\/a>, and our list of films and TV shows to watch next here<\/a>.<\/strong>
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