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Stranger Con: A failed Game of Thrones audition nearly kept Millie Bobby Brown from Stranger Things
Had history gone just a bit differently, Westeros may very well have ended up claiming a resident of Hawkins, Indiana. During an appearance at Stranger Con (a Stranger Things-themed convention in Secaucus, New Jersey), actress Millie Bobby Brown recounted the story of how she came to be cast as fan-favorite breakout Eleven in the hit Netflix series.
Having moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, her onscreen career didn't quite pan out at first. Finally, a failed audition for HBO's Game of Thrones (she didn't specify the role she was aiming for) left her so downtrodden that she almost gave up acting for good. Having moved back to England afterward, she then got a call to audition for a little show called "Montauk" (the original title for Stranger Things), and despite her GoT rejection she went for it, and the rest is television history.
Naturally, fans were clamoring for more information on Season 3 of the show, which will be set over the summer of 1985. Brown, who admitted she hates Eggo waffles in real life other than the chocolate-chip variety, was pretty mum on the new episodes, except for the fact that we'll get to see more of her character.
“You’ve got so much Eleven content in Season 3 … you take away a lot," she said. If the first trailer for Season 3 is any indication, Eleven will finally get to live the life of a normal teenager, listening to music, going to the mall, and exploring her relationship with Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard). Indeed, Brown said as much earlier in the day, explaining how Eleven is still being defined in the series.
"My character’s a little more complicated," she said.
Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers and was also in attendance at the convention, was a bit more forthcoming with his excitement about the new episodes and really frustrated that he couldn't say more at the moment. Even so, his teases were maddeningly general and vague, because if he gave anything specific away, the Duffer brothers (who created the series) would probably have him recast.
“Season 3’s so good, I can’t wait for you guys to see it. There’s a new mall and it’s really cool … A lot happens. It’s crazy! ... Brace yourself," Schnapp said during his Q&A, talking about how he'd just done an ADR session the day before. “I got to see the show coming together and it looks really, really good.”
As it so happens, Schnapp also broached the topic of Game of Thrones, talking about how he just can't seem to get into the fantasy show, currently in the middle of its eighth and final season.
“I’ve tried getting into it a couple times. I can’t seem to get myself into it … I will be watching it eventually," he said.
Season 3 of Stranger Things premieres on Netflix Thursday, July 4. Aside from Brown and Schnapp, the show co-stars Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Dacre Montgomery (Billy Hargrove), Maya Hawke (Robin), Francesca Reale (Heather), Cary Elwes (Mayor Kline), and Jake Busey (Bruce).
Before the new episodes arrive, however, Brown appears as Madison Russell in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which opens in theaters May 31.
