MANILA, Philippines — Nearly a decade after Millie Bobby Brown first visited the Philippines for “Stranger Things,” there’s still one thing that she cannot forget.
“My favorite thing was the breakfast,” she said when The STAR spoke to her during a virtual roundtable interview ahead of the global release of the fifth and final season of the series.
“Do you know what I’m talking about? The steak? What is it called? Tappy….Tapsilog! That’s it! I loved the breakfast there. I had the same thing every morning,” she added.
The British actress was only 12 years old then, but already a breakout star from the success of the Netflix supernatural sci-fi series. She traveled across the world to appear at the AsiaPOP Comicon Manila in 2016.
At that time, Millie harbored no expectations about “Stranger Things,” where she plays Eleven, a girl with psychokinetic abilities, becoming the global phenom that it is today.
But it was the Manila trip that made her realize how big of a show it was becoming.
“No, I didn’t know the show was gonna be this big,” she said. “But to be honest, when I went to the Philippines, it made me think, wow. The show is big because the fans there are so passionate and lovely. Yeah, it definitely was an eye opener.”
Now, five hit seasons later, if she could give her Season 1 self any message, Millie quipped that she would have appreciated some advance notice of what was to come.
“Oh, my goodness!” she started, saying she would tell her younger self that “the season gets renewed for four more times. I don’t think we thought that was gonna happen at all.”
“So the fact that we all just kind of didn’t think we’d see each other again, and then we’ve been together for the last 10 years. I would have liked a heads up just so I could know what I’m gonna do with my life. Or, maybe I didn’t need to know. I don’t know,” she added.
As for the “Stranger Things” fans, they have watched Millie grow up on screen and off it, experiencing career and personal milestones such as marriage and motherhood.
“It’s really special for me to grow with her,” she said,
Millie noted that at first, her character was very sheltered and likened her to a blank slate because she didn’t have a clue on who she really was.
“But as the show progressed, especially by Season 4, we see her start to discover her own freedom. I loved that in Season 4, Eleven is kind of forced to be on her own for the first time, without her friends or Hopper (Eleven’s father figure and Hawkins’ police chief) to guide her.
“Without her powers, we also get to find out who she is as a person. It’s scary for her, but it also gives her an amazing opportunity to understand her own strength and what she’s capable of,” Millie said.
“She’s making her own decisions, even if they’re tough ones, and she’s learning to trust herself. I think that’s an important part of growing up. It was really powerful to play those moments where she’s not just reacting to what’s happening around her, but actually shaping her own story. It’s been an emotional journey. I’m proud of how far she’s come.”
On a personal level, playing Eleven allowed Millie to learn about “strength and friendship.”
And she gushed about this special bond on the set of “Stranger Things” in the press notes — how co-stars became her “lifelong” friends.
“Their friendship means a lot to me. Most of us have busy schedules now, so just being able to spend time together on set for the last season was great. I spent the majority of my life with them, so it’s definitely going to be a change, but I know they’ll be lifelong friends,” she said.
Meanwhile, Volume 1 (covering Episodes 1 to 4) of “Stranger Things” is now streaming on Netflix. Two more volumes will premiere on Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
According to the synopsis, the story opens in fall 1987, as Hawkins feels the impact of the Rifts (the openings between the normal world and the Upside Down). The Hawkins kids are coming together to find and take down Vecna. But he has disappeared, and his whereabouts are a mystery.
To complicate the kids’ mission, the government has implemented a military quarantine and ramped up its hunt for Eleven, consequently, forcing her back into hiding.
“To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together one last time,” the synopsis further stated.
With that, viewers will meet an Eleven who is “in training mode” and “warrior state.”
“All she is thinking about is protecting her friends. Her friends are her chosen family, so she will do whatever it takes to protect them, and we’re going to see that,” Millie said in the press notes.
She talked more about fully embracing Season 5 Eleven during our roundtable chat. When responding to a question from this writer, she shared how she trained and prepped for this “warrior” version.
“I just throw myself into it every year with 150 percent. So much so that I usually get sick because I’m very ambitious and dedicated to the role. I try to give as much as I can, even though sometimes it breaks me,” she said.
“But I love being that warrior for Eleven. There are also moments where she can’t be, and those scenes are really fun to film.
“So, we’re excited for everyone to see it. That’s all I can feel — it’s real excitement for the fans to be able to see it.”