Millie Bobby Brown, who plays the character Eleven in the acclaimed series “Stranger Things”, revealed the emotional behind-the-scenes of the end of the Netflix production. The actress openly expressed her feelings about her character’s outcome and the bonds she built with her co-stars over nearly a decade of filming.
In the impactful final episode of the series, Eleven apparently meets her death after a sacrifice in the Upside Down. An explosion orchestrated by Murray (Brett Gelman) and Hopper (David Harbour) occurs, and viewers witness the character being swept away by the current and pulverized.
However, Eleven’s story takes an unexpected turn in the final moments of the chapter. Mike (Finn Wolfhard) narrates a version where Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) would have helped Eleven fake her own death, suggesting that she escaped to a place with three waterfalls.
Doubts about the fate of the character Eleven
In a live recording of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast on June 24, 22-year-old Millie Bobby Brown commented on her character’s ambiguous ending. Although she knows Eleven’s true destiny, the Emmy-nominated actress explained that she was compelled to keep it a secret by the series’ creators, the Duffer brothers.
“They said, ‘Don’t tell anyone. Because we took some kind of secret oath,'” Brown told host Josh Horowitz, as reported by Variety. She added that “No one else knows. It’s just the three of us. And what we do with that information will be up to them.”
The emotional impact of ending the series and resilience
Millie Bobby Brown confessed to having experienced “slight depression” after the production’s final episode aired. Even so, the artist maintains an optimistic view regarding Eleven’s future in the plot’s universe.
“All people ask now is, ‘Do you believe it?’ And of course I believe it,” Brown said. “I have to believe it, honestly – otherwise January will come again.”
The search for reconciliation and maintaining friendships with castmates
During his appearance on the same podcast “Happy Sad Confused”, Brown discussed how he managed relationships with his “Stranger Things” colleagues after the series ended. The actress, who played Eleven for almost ten years, revealed that she had approached the cast in January to check on the status of their friendships and resolve any personal issues.
“They probably thought I was crazy,” Brown admitted. “I was like, ‘We’re still friends, right? You’re never going to stop talking to me again?’ I said, ‘I’m sorry if I ever hurt you,’ and I was just trying to make things right. ‘It’s been 10 years and I really want to be your friend. You are like a brother to me.’ And then I was on the beach, and it was beautiful, and I just sat there crying. It was a very difficult time for me.”
Brown’s statements come seven months after rumors circulated in the media about possible friction between her and David Harbour, who plays her adoptive father in the series. The Daily Mail reported in November that Brown had allegedly filed a harassment and bullying complaint against Harbor before filming began on the final season.
Later, during the promotion of the series, Brown downplayed rumors of a disagreement. She told The Hollywood Reporter that both she and Harbor “value friendship above all else.” David Harbour, in a profile published by Variety earlier the same month, described the incident with Brown as a “simple break-up and reconciliation” that was resolved after a conversation between them.
Jake Bongiovi’s defense and the public’s perception of his personal life
When discussing the profound personal impact of “Stranger Things” on “Happy Sad Confused,” Millie Bobby Brown mentioned, “No one will ever understand.” She explained that she started watching the series when she was ten years old and that the character and the group of actors became more significant in her life than her own family, highlighting the intensity of the connection developed over the years. The actress was also recently on the agenda when she defended her husband, Jake Bongiovi, for not pushing the baby carriage, a situation that sparked public debate and which she addressed in her speech about the difficulty of having her personal life under constant scrutiny after years in the media.