Warning: Spoilers ahead: Stranger Things premiered its highly-anticipated season 4 vol 2 on Friday and it was all things scary. The Netflix series has truly come to age, much like the cast of the series. The last two episodes of the latest season packs in the drama, emotions and horror, showing how much the show has evolved since it first began. The new season also introduced fans to a new Upside Down creature — Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).
While the gang stuck in Hawkins had already met Vecna in Stranger Things 4 Vol 1, Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven crosses paths with Vecna in his truest form only in Vol 2. Fans have given their approval to the clash seen in the season finale episodes, Millie has now revealed that she was terrified when she first saw Jamie dressed up as Vecna.
She recalled her first reaction to the creature, opened up about Eleven’s character growth in season 4 and the future of Stranger Things. Read an excerpt of her conversation below:
Can you tell us a bit about Eleven’s journey to California?
Eleven hurts Angela, one of her bullies. She gets arrested and taken away, and on the drive, there’s an accident and somebody breaks into the car. She’s afraid, she doesn’t know who it is and plans to attack them. But she realizes it’s actually Dr. Owens, aka Paul Reiser, and he takes her to this underground facility in the desert and shows her what he’s been working on. The mission is called Project Nina, and it’s going to take Eleven back into all her old memories to channel her powers again. That’s where Eleven’s growth begins, and her arc starts to form. It’s pretty consistent in the first four episodes, and then it really starts to jump into who she is as she travels back into her memories.
What stands out to you as the most significant thread of Eleven’s past?
The most shocking part, the part where I kind of gasped when I read the script, was the part when Eleven realizes she’s not at fault for the killings of the other numbers. She thought she was at fault and realizes that that’s not the case at all and that she had been holding onto this guilt subconsciously. She had to come to terms with the fact it wasn’t her fault and she was a victim and wasn’t the cause of all of this. That’s the fight that she has throughout the whole season, and I really loved that this was her storyline. There’s one scene in which she understands it’s not her fault anymore, and that’s what triggers getting her powers back. I think that that was really well done and well-executed by the Duffers.
What was your reaction when you first saw Jamie Campbell Bower in full makeup as Vecna?
The first time I saw Vecna, I had to kill him, and I hadn’t seen him before. I’m very close with Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Vecna, and it was really, really surreal because I was going into a rehearsal right after lunch and was in a bit of a food coma. I walked on and I saw him in his suit, and he snapped his neck and looked at me, and I looked at him and was like, “What is that?!” I didn’t know. I thought Vecna was going to be CGI! And then, he walked up to me, and I burst into tears. I was crying the whole rehearsal! I hid under Matt and Ross Duffer like, “Please don’t!” Jamie had to give me a hug because I couldn’t do the scene. The fear was genuine and definitely very real. I didn’t have to act. I was terrified.
Can you talk a bit about that big confrontation scene when you face Vecna?
I end up in Vecna’s lair — his mind, which is kind of wild. I’m with Max in the lair, and I’m really just trying to distract him so he won’t hurt her. It was a week’s work of me being in this bloody set; it was really quite a tough week for me. I was on these ropes with my arms up, and my legs were also attached to the door. I also had something around my neck that would act as the trees choking me. I felt a real sense of exhaustion, but I think I played into it really well. I channeled the fear, but I also channeled the emotional exhaustion that I felt from the week into the scene. It was intense. There was not one day that I wasn’t crying in the scene. I was drinking lots of water and really staying prepared for the end of the week, which was the fight sequence.
Were there any other highlights from filming this season?
One of the highlights was going to New Mexico to film the California scenes. That was a big highlight because I never thought we’d travel for the show. It just showed that the scale was much larger this season. And another highlight from the show was working with Jamie Campbell Bower, not only because of his professionalism but because I met a really close friend — someone who I’ll hold in my heart forever. We exchanged some really intense and emotionally challenging scenes, and we tackled them. And also working with Matthew Modine, who’s practically my godfather, and getting to relive some of those incredible moments from Season One with him.
How has it felt working with Matthew Modine as Papa again?
It’s really nice having him back. He is a dear friend of mine, and so having him back is like hanging out with your friend again — catching up on all things you’ve missed. And it also means I get to work with one of the most talented people in the world. I feel very lucky to have him back, and for him to be incorporated in Eleven’s storyline again, which means I can spend more time with him. We get to really dive into the Eleven and Papa storyline, which we didn’t have the opportunity to do before.
What does the end of Season Four mean for the future of Stranger Things?
Eleven has travelled back to Hawkins, and we reunite with everyone, including Hopper. And then you start to see spores in the sky, which means the Upside Down is near — the danger is near. And they start to follow the spores. They start to follow thunderclaps. They go through a flower field, and when the camera lands, they see that half of the flowers are alive and the other half are dead. There’s more danger to come in Hawkins. It ends in classic Stranger Things style and keeps the fans pulsating. And who knows? I wish I could tell you where everything leads.
How did it feel to film the Hopper (David Harbour) and Eleven reunion scene? That relationship is so important in the show.
The Hopper reunion is very heartfelt. It’s very real. It was really sweet. I loved the way it was written by the Duffers, and I just really played into the feeling of missing someone that you’ve lost. I channeled a few personal experiences and found myself in a great emotional spot to portray the scene in a real way. In an authentic way. It’s definitely a tear jerker.
