Millie Bobby Brown Explains How She Got Young Eleven To Look And Act Just Like Her
Topics: Film and TV, Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown
Lisa McLoughlin
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Film and TV, Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown
Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown has revealed how she revisited a younger version of her character Eleven in the latest instalment of the hit show.
Throughout the series, viewers see Eleven in several flashbacks that follow her time as a captive child in Hawkins Lab with Dr. Martin Brenner, four years before the events of season one.
While she performed most of the scenes herself, the show enlisted the help of young actor Martie Blair to stand-in for the nine-year-old version of her character.
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However, Blair’s face was digitally replaced in post-production with Brown’s.
In a new interview, the British actress said it was 'really important' for her to work with Blair before her scenes to capture how Eleven would have moved and reacted at that age.
She told Variety: “It was really important for me to help her through that because I didn’t really have anyone helping me through who Eleven was going to be.
"I would come to set before my scenes and direct her through everything. I would hide behind the wall and scream with her when she got anxious about screaming to do my powers.
"I would help her with some of her facial twitches and things like that – very specific things that no one probably would even tell, but me watching the show, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t help her through it."
Aside from the physicality of the role, Brown explained how they digitally replaced Blair’s face using a 'really cool process called the Lola machine', and described it as a 'once in a lifetime' experience.
Shout-out to Martie Blair, who played young Eleven, and to Millie, who directed her every step of the way pic.twitter.com/KFQL3Hge6P
— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) May 31, 2022
The Netflix star added that the process took three days and involved her reshooting 'every single scene that Martie had done' to replicate all her facial movements for the VFX team.
Brown's interview comes days after fans were left shocked learning that the star has an English accent.
The 18-year-old has been busy promoting the latest instalment of the Duffer brother’s sci-fi series and it seems like some viewers have only realised that she puts on an Indiana accent to play Eleven.
Her appearance on First We Feast’s YouTube show Hot Ones has sparked the latest reaction online. One commented on Twitter: "I dunno how I never knew Millie Bobby Brown has a British accent before I watched Hot Ones."
"MILLIE BOBBY BROWN IS BRITISH????" another penned. “I just heard millie bobby brown speak for the first time and shes BRITISH ????” (sic).
A fourth added: “I just found out Millie Bobby Brown is British and I don’t know how to take this information????” (sic).
Despite Millie being a proud Brit – and Liverpool football fan – she was actually born in Marbella, Spain, but moved back to the UK with her family to live in Bournemouth when she was four.
The star and her family moved to Florida when she was eight years old, before they upped sticks again and headed to Los Angeles so she could start her acting career.
Given her years living in the US, her slight American twang can be forgiven.
Stranger Things Series 4 Vol. 1 is available to stream now.
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