Why Filming Enola Holmes 2 Made Millie Bobby Brown Scared To Return To Stranger Things
Millie Bobby Brown's new film "Enola Holmes 2" begins streaming on Netflix later this week. In the film, Brown reprises the titular role, that of the younger sister of the famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill). Based on the book series by Nancy Springer, it's a fun tale of a brilliant young woman who solves crimes. This time around, Enola has started her own detective agency, but unfortunately, she isn't getting anywhere with it. People either want her brother to solve their crimes, or they don't take her seriously as a woman in business. It's the late 19th century, so this is hardly a surprise.
That doesn't deter Enola, though, who takes on the case of a missing young woman working a terrible job in a matchstick factory. In fact, the entire story is based on the Matchgirls Strike of 1888. There are some great twists and turns in this story of a fascinating character who very often breaks the fourth wall to address the audience as she tells the story.
As you likely know, Brown also plays the lead role of Eleven in the Netflix series "Stranger Things." Brown and her fellow cast members from "Enola Holmes 2" recently did a Q&A at the New York premiere of the film (via Today). While there, she spoke about being scared to go back to "Stranger Things" after filming "Enola Holmes 2." She's got a very good reason for it.
'I have this deep-rooted fear'
The reason for her fear revolves around Enola's fourth wall breaking. She said at the premiere:
"While filming, I had a dream that I was on the set of 'Stranger Things,' and I couldn't stop looking at the camera. And now, I have this deep-rooted fear that now I will never stop looking at the camera. So now, I'm so obsessed with it."
It makes sense, of course. Fourth wall-breaking requires a very different style of acting that invites the audience into the scene with the actors. It's not just about your scene partners and getting into the moment. She's telling the story to us and, therefore, is always aware of us. It's more of a recounting of an event in a way than a sort of voyeuristic look at someone experiencing a moment. If you do it well as an actor, you're still in that moment, but you have to be able to break out of it for small comments.
We're getting one more season of "Stranger Things" with the fifth volume of the series (likely one that won't suddenly start breaking fourth walls left and right), though there is no premiere date yet.
"Enola Holmes 2" will begin streaming on Netflix on November 4, 2022.