Stranger Things Stars Millie Bobby Brown And Matthew Modine Said 'I Love You' Before Filming Difficult Scenes
Matthew Modine has opened up about his and Millie Bobby Brown's preparation for some of their more difficult Stranger Things scenes.
In the hit Netflix supernatural drama, Modine plays the character of Dr Brenner, the senior research scientist and director of Hawkins Laboratory who experiments on children to try and develop their telekinetic powers.
However, to add the controversial nature of his figure, Dr Brenner is also a figure Eleven (Brown) sees as her 'Papa'.
The pair's relationship comes to a climax in Stranger Things' penultimate season and Modine has since revealed how he and Bobby Brown would prepare for some of the tense scenes.
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Modine revealed the two actors would 'check in with each other' during the filming of season four, 'especially during scenes where [they were] being harmful towards one another'.
He told Vulture: "We would begin by saying, 'I love you.' We would wink at each other before a scene started so we knew what we were doing, especially if it was saying something painful.
"It was a way to connect with one another and lift each other's game."
The penultimate season of Stranger Things sees both sides of the doctor presented starkly against one another.
Dr Brenner is desperate to make Eleven's powers as strong as possible - mostly out of scientific fascination, but also so she has the best chance of saving the world - so much so he is willing to drug her to try and force her to stay in the lab.
However, he does also exhibit fatherly emotions towards her, with Modine arguing the scientist '100 percent [...] loves the children' and 'believed what he was doing had some benefit' despite the 'mental slavery' he subjects them to.
The final version of Dr Brenner viewers see, is the character in the role of a father - albeit a very abusive and manipulative one.
The scientist releases Eleven from a neck device as he lies dying on the floor and begs her to 'understand' why he chose to do everything he did. "I’ve only ever wanted to help you and to protect you. Everything I did I did for you," he tells Eleven.
The actors first started working together when Brown was just 11 years old. Modine explained how Brown's family were 'grateful' that he was her scene partner because 'all [he] wanted her to do was succeed and be the best actor she could be'.
He reflected: "What you want to do is make the person on the other side of the net, your scene partner, be the best performer they are capable of being.
"So you work with them and you learn the dialogue — you understand the idea behind the dialogue, why the character’s saying this, why the character’s doing this, and what kind of physical behaviour is important to represent to the audience, so they can understand what’s going on emotionally. These were all conversations I was having with a young child."
By season four, using the metaphor of acting with someone as being like playing a game of tennis, Modine said working alongside Brown was like playing with Serena Williams.
He continued: "I was playing with an expert at her craft. There were times I would look away and turn around, and all of a sudden I was working with Judy Garland. I’d turn away again, and all of a sudden she looked like Natalie Wood. There’s something 'old Hollywood' about her.
"The gift that Millie has is a tremendous intelligence and understanding of what I was talking about and the ability to take a very specific direction."
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Topics: Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown
Poppy Bilderbeck