Millie Bobby Brown on “Damsel,” Taylor Swift, and Filming the Final Season of “Stranger Things”

If anybody's watching this, if you want me to play a mermaid, go find someone else. [LAUGHS] Find someone else now. Just anyone. Jenna Ortega, Zendaya, you name it, you go get them. Not me. I'm out. - Millie, it's good to see you, buddy. - It's so good to see you. - You have a new film, ‘Damsel.’ Congratulations on the film. - Thank you. - The ‘Stranger Things’ gang has released you. - Yes. - There's a cardboard cutout of Millie Bobby Brown on the set right now doing your work, I assume? - No, n

o, not quite. Our schedules are so sporadic. But I've been having the best time in production so far. But yeah, they need to give me a break so I can enjoy ‘Damsel.’ - Spread the good word. - Yeah, exactly. - This is a fun one. We're taping this, by the way, on Valentine's Day. I can't think of a better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than promoting a movie. This is really the goal in life, right? - So romantic. [LAUGHS] - We're also taping this just a few days away from a big birthday for you.

You're going to be turning 20. - Yes. I'm turning 20 on Monday, so I'm really excited. - So let's evaluate the teen years. You definitely won more Teen Choice Awards than most teenagers did. Okay. You wrote more books than most teenagers did. - Yeah. One. - Well, that's one more than I would say 99.9%. - Yes, this is true. This is true. - How do you look back? I mean, this means you're a full fledged-- you're an adult now. I'm sorry. You're just an adult. - Yeah. I mean, I definitely agree. I t

hink being 19 I was like, I still can say I'm a teenager. But now I can't and now I have probably-- I have to adult now, which is crazy. Learning how to do the washing and stuff like that is very new for me. I'm not used to it. My mom has always been taking care of me my whole life and now I'm like, “Oh, I have to do this? This is so hard.” No wonder you were complaining. This is nuts. - I get it now. You still have a few days of irresponsibility. You could just soak in the irresponsibility the

se last few days. - I mean, I moved out when I was 18, so... by moved out, I mean next to my parents. - So long. - Yeah. So long. - I can still hear you. - Anyways. Yeah. Meanwhile, I just moved bedrooms. No. But I was able-- I don't like to make dinner. So then I go over there. It's the best of both worlds. - Perfect. OK. So when I do look back at the last decade of work, a lot of monsters in your life between ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘Godzilla,’ and ‘Damsel.’ It's either a demogorgon, a Godzilla, a

dragon. Are your 20s going to be as consumed with monster work as your teen years were? - I think I am more driven now to, I don't know, more human characters. - Sure. - I'd love to tell more stories. But again, I also can't ever say no to a good monster. - Right. - It's always going to be in my heart forever. But yeah, I definitely am interested to try new things and enter new genres. That would be really exciting for me. - Let's talk about ‘Damsel.’ This is a great piece of work. It's an inten

se piece of work. This is something. You're an executive producer on this. Congratulations. - Thank you. - You must have known what you were getting into. But watching it, having my mind as someone that follows film and knows how production is, did you know how intense physically this one was going to be? - I knew it was going to be intense. I guess not probably to the extent of what it actually was. Physically, I think my body-- I thought my body would react to it better. But my body definitely

took its toll. Every day I was aching and my body was actually-- I was actually gaining muscle, which I was really proud of myself. So it was a hard shoot. Definitely challenged me and pushed me. But it made me a different kind of actor. Now I know where I can go and it helps me with my range. Yeah, it pushed me more than any role has ever pushed me. - Yeah. I mean, there are a number of challenges to this one. I mean, there's significant portions of the film where it's kind of just you and the

elements and a monster, a dragon. That's got to be a different-- I mean, obviously ‘Stranger Things,’ these huge ensembles, all these actors. And it's Millie on set for weeks at a time, I would imagine. - Right. I think it was hard for me because, again, like you said, I've been so reliant on my cast members on ‘Stranger Things’ and on ‘Enola.’ And I just felt like, “Oh, I can't get sick.” - Right. It's on you. - Yeah. I can't get injured. These are things that I have to make sure I'm able to d

eliver for. So it was definitely-- it was definitely difficult. - Yeah. - But I kind of-- you find a camaraderie and friendship with the crew. And it's like you're working with them every day, so they felt like my castmates. - Totally. So I do want to talk a little bit about the physicality more, because it struck me. I'm watching this and I'm seeing how jacked you are. I'm like, Millie's arms are bigger than mine. I hate her. What the hell? I mean, some of the stuff you do in this... Like, tell

me your preference. Would you rather be climbing all day or falling all day on set? - That's a really good question, because I don't like climbing, because my arms hurt. But falling makes me feel sick. - Right. - So I'm going to say climbing. - OK. - I'm really bad, like motion sickness. That's where I have to draw the line. I've done like on ‘Stranger Things’ and even on ‘Damsel’ and if I do it one too many times, I am outside like, [RETCHES] everywhere. Everybody's like, “Oh God, Millie.” I h

ave to wear the bracelets. I'm like a nightmare. - What about at a theme park? Are you not a roller coaster lady? - No. - Can't do it? - I can do fast, but I can't do twisty turny. - Twisty turny no. - Or in the dark. - OK. - Or loops. - This limits you at a theme park. - I know. You know what ride I like? The Hagrid ride. - Right, you want the experience. You want fun. - I like the experience. I like it to be fun. Like OK, there's a little bit of-- my parents traumatized me when I was younger b

ecause we were at Universal and they were like-- well, actually it was more my siblings. But they were like, “You should get on The Mummy ride. Oh. It's really slow and it's just about mummies.” [LAUGHS] - Spoiler. - I got on and my brother and my sister looked at each other and I was just like, “No.” And when I knew I was putting one of those on. - Yes - I knew I was being tricked and I was stuck. And it's actually my favorite ride now. Now I go on it. It's all my least favorite things. Like- i

t’s like, you know, fast and dark and I was just like, “Oh.” But it's my favorite ride now. But it did low key traumatized me. [LAUGHS] - Years of therapy bills go straight to your siblings. - Yes. - Fire or water? Would you rather spend a day on set-- - Fire. - The water is miserable, isn't it? Yeah. You're cold. - I hate working in the water. It is my least favorite. If anybody's watching this, if you want me to play a mermaid, go find someone else. [LAUGHS] Find someone else now. Just anyone.

Jenna Ortega, Zendaya, you name it, you go get them. Not me. I'm out. I'm out. I just can't. It just-- - Life is too short. - Yeah. I'm not happy. I'm grumpy. I'm hungry. I get cold really quickly. My kidneys hurt. It's just like a nightmare. And I honestly give props to anyone who could work in water, because I'm like, that is a challenge in itself. Not here for it. - Cross off the ‘Titanic’ reboot. Millie's out. - Well yeah. And you know what my biggest dream is? To do a shark movie. - That's

going to be difficult, Millie. - I know. But listen, you see how Halle [Bailey] did it in ‘The Little Mermaid’? - Sure. No water you're saying? - Well, she did half of it water, but half of it she was just moving against a green screen. I could do that. - Look at that. That’s acting. Look at her. - I feel like that's something I could do. [LAUGHS] - Did you have any, like, I mean, look, there are so many iconic performances I think of over the years of these badass women over the years, whether

you go back to Sigourney Weaver, Ripley, Angelina, Lara Croft. Like who’s on the, who’s- Uma Thurman, Beatrix. Were you trying to emulate any of them in the course of this one or any on your mind? - That's a good question. Here's the thing. - Yeah. - I don't watch movies. So this is-- - Did any of the characters I say ring a bell? No? - Lara Croft, yes. - OK. ‘Alien’ no? You've never seen the ‘Alien’ movies? They're good. You should check them out. - But by the way, I get people come up to me a

nd be like, “You should definitely watch this movie. It will change your life.” And I'm like, “How long is it?” How long do I have to sit there for? Because I've just my brain-- and I don't even like sitting for my own movies. I just have to be doing something. - Yeah. - So I either eat too much because I'm just bored. Or I have to be doing something. Baking, grooming a dog. - Right. Your own dog? Just someone's dog? - Someone's dog. On my computer. I have to be doing something. And if I'm not d

oing something, I just can't sit there and look at it for that long. - Right. - But it's not to say the movie isn't epic and cinematic and brilliant. And there's amazing performances. I love some of these actors. But I just-- and like-- - It's a Millie thing, not the movie. - It's a Millie thing. And by the way, my fiancé is the biggest movie buff. So he just sits and watches movies all day. And I'm just like, I cannot do that. That is the one thing I can't sit down and do. But, I really love La

ra Croft. I really love ‘Mad Max.’ So I feel like, yeah, so I feel like I'm always channeling that inner badass. But yeah, I also think there's a lot of-- there's also not a lot of badass in Elodie. And I think that that's another thing I wanted to bring, because there is a sense of vulnerability in the beginning. - Totally. - She's a victim and she's just a young girl. And I feel like I really wanted to push that narrative as well, because not everyone's a badass. - Of course. And no, she goes

on quite the journey from where we see her at the start. I mean, she’s- Elodie is a character that seemingly is set up for success at the beginning. She's marrying-- - I know. - Marrying into royalty. She's got the dream wedding ahead of her. Nick Robinson. It's all going to be great. - It's going to be great. - Is this a cautionary tale against being set up, about joining royalty? - I think it's about family. It is about society. I think it's about trust and loyalty and deception. And I think i

t's about a lot of different things. And I like any movie that takes you on a roller coaster. You are so flabbergasted by the end. But yeah, I think you don't quite know what's going to happen in this movie. And I think that's what I like about it. And who is the real dragon? Is it the dragon or is it society? - Do you think-- I would imagine there's very little wedding inspiration you can get from the wedding in this. - No, there's no wedding inspo. [LAUGHS] I mean, I wasn't engaged at the time

, so I wasn't looking at the wedding like, oh, inspo. I was just there doing my job. But now looking back, no. Gold? - Not going to be part of the-- - Not the vibe. Definitely not the vibe. - But you are going with ‘Stranger Things’ themed. You're obviously going to walk down the aisle to the music from the show. - It's going to be black and red is the theme. I'm going to shave my hair off. - Right. [David] Harbour is officiating. - Yes. Yes. [LAUGHS] I don't know how I feel. Sure. Matthew Modin

e I think. - OK. If you're going to select a cast member, that's the officiant? Of course. - Yeah, yeah. He's my fake dad. Who's the ring bearer? Winona [Ryder]? Gaten [Matarazzo]? - Noah [Schnapp]. - Noah, of course. - Yeah, Noah. Obviously. [LAUGHS] - One of my favorite headlines in the last year, and I think a lot was made of this and it's probably not the real kind of thing, but that a psychic awakened in you that you were a feminist. Like, you visited a psychic. - This is true. - Set the re

cord straight. That's not exactly-- is it what happened? - It is. - OK. I stand corrected. - Which is weird, because I've been doing these very strong female some would say feminist roles in my career, and yet I didn't know what a feminist was. And like, who am I to say, “I'm a feminist” when I don't really know what it is and who-- like what kind of feminist am I? So I was- I basically was reading a book at the time called “The Guilty Feminist,” which is one of my favorite books. And I was read

ing it, but I didn't tell anyone I was reading it. Not even my fiancé knew I was reading it. And I was listening to her podcast, “The Guilty Feminist.” My friend Deborah [Frances-White], who-- she wrote the book and she's in the podcast. And I'm obsessed with her. And I didn't tell anyone I was reading this book, because I was like, I don't want anyone to think that I don't know what a feminist is. - Sure. And so I went to this psychic for a different reason. I wanted to just get a good reading,

whatever. She's like, “Are you a feminist?” And I was like, “That's weird.” Because no one knows-- - You are good at your job. - So I was like, “I don't know. That's what I'm figuring out.” - And she was basically going on this tangent like I'm meant to be a feminist. I'm meant to step into that role and whatever. I was like, “Whoa.” So then after that I was like, OK, guys, this is the kind of feminist I am. - Amazing. Any other great tips from the psychic that set you-- career stuff? Personal

stuff? - She kind of deep dived. Yeah, she was very good. But some stuff you don't know. Sometimes I'm like, I have to go to my parents and I'm like, “What does this mean?” But it was very, very interesting. I also like the ones just on the street here in New York. - Have you ever done that? - Of course. Midnight, me and my fiancé, we just go and get a psychic reading. - What have they told you? - She's like, “You have shoulder pain.” I'm like, “You're right.” - That's just the way I'm walkin

g. - I know. - That's not real. - Yeah, no, well, you never know. But you know what I don't like about the psychics here? They're through a window. Other people watch me get a reading. - You want the private, special-- - Yeah. But I try and act my way through. I'm like, [GASPS] so that people more people come in and help. You know what I mean? - You can't turn it off. - No, never. I'm always acting. [LAUGHS] - I know, look, I do have to ask a couple of things about ‘Stranger Things.’ I know ther

e's nothing to say, because it's a long journey ahead. But you are shooting the final season? - Yeah. - What's the vibe? Has it been a little bit different? I mean, I know it's a long road ahead, but does it feel like the vibe on set is a little bit different? Is it more nostalgic? - It's the exact same. - Really? - I mean, I wish I could be like, everybody's crying every day. We're all devastated. It's like, we're having fun. We're like, “Oh, like we're all back together again.” We're not think

ing about the end. I know closer to the end we're going to think about the end. But right now it's nice and it's really fun to be back together again. The crew is happy. The cast are happy and we're really excited. I know that maybe a few months toward the end. But we know it's a long road ahead. So right now we're living in bliss. But it's been really nice. It's like when we did the read through, it was a little sad. - Yeah. - You know it's the last read through. - Did you read the last script

together? - Not yet. - Have you read the last script? - I know what's going to happen, but I haven't read the script. - OK. OK. Collective deep breath. Here we go. - It's OK. Are you going to cry? - Maybe. OK. I rely on you to keep me abreast on what's cool in pop culture. - Oh God. Why me? I don't have any social media. It's so boring, but all my friends are like, “That's slaying.” And I'm like, “I want to say that word, but I don't really know how to--” - You could sell it. - Use it. Yeah, lik

e I say it. - Tell me something that's slaying. What's slaying right now, Millie? - My outfit. - Let's hear it. Say it. - I'm slaying this outfit. [LAUGHS] - Oh, the snap. - I don't know if the snap's really in. I don't know. But anyways, my younger sister is 12 and she is so with it. And I'm like 20. I should be with it. - You're with it. - No, but I'm not though. I'm really not. And I'm not trying to be like, I'm like old and mature. I genuinely-- if you don't have TikTok, if you don't have In

stagram, you might as well not be part of society. It's crazy. I feel like I miss out on huge news things and trends. And my fiancé- Jake [Bongiovi] says something. I'm like, “What?” Is that really a trend? - Taylor Swift has an album coming out. - OK, I know this. I know this, because I have people send me TikToks. - Right. - That I'm like, “Oh, OK, thank you for letting me know that.” But other than that, I would never know. - What music are you listening to? There must be something on the pla

ylist right now you're obsessed with? - Right now I'm in New York, so ‘Hamilton.’ - Nice. - Just reliving in my ‘Hamilton’ era. - Most played musical artist of 2023? What was-- - Gosh. I mean, it was Taylor for sure. She's super because it's just a lot for me. I can't even talk about her. - Wait, what do you mean? - She's just my favorite. - It's just emotional to even talk about the music? Yeah. Yeah, it really is. - What song gets you? I'm sorry. It's going to be OK. - I mean, “my tears ricoch

et” is one of my favorites. My sister and I, my older sister is way more Swiftie than I am. Like, I am a Swiftie. My sister is another level. She knows every single word. She is solving investigations as we speak about Taylor Swift. She knows where she's going to be, when- - On the Reddit boards. - What she's going to be wearing, what's she going to say. Is she going to release this album, release this. I mean, because everything Taylor does is curated perfectly. And my sister is two steps ahead

of that always. She has way too much time on our hands. [LAUGHS] - What about movies that you've been obsessed? Did you ‘Saltburn,’ did you ‘Barbie’? - No. I Barbied. - You had to Barbie. - How could you not? - Can't be a citizen of the planet Earth and not Barbie. - No, you couldn't. Honestly, that would be the last straw, I think. No Instagram, no TikTok, no Barbie. Who are you? You might as well, like seriously-- This is yeah. I watched ‘Barbie.’ I loved ‘Barbie.’ I just was so moved by ever

yone's performance, by the whole thing. I just think it was just a really awesome film. And I walked away and Jake was like, “That made me so happy.” I feel like it's what the world needs. Just a big hug of pink and like happy women. Just-- that made me so happy. - Yeah, if you're not crying by the Billie Eilish song at the end, you're dead inside. - “What Was I Made For?” If you don't have TikTok, Instagram, and watch ‘Barbie,’ what was I made for? - Words of wisdom. Millie Bobby Brown. - This

is true. - Thanks for spending your Valentine's Day with us to spread the good word. - Do you have a Valentine? - Of course, the wife. - Slay. - And my dog. - OK. - Lucy. You're a dog person. - I'm a dog person. - You're a big time dog person. - This is true. - We're going to talk dogs next time. - OK, definitely. - Save it. - We'll get back to that. - All right. ‘Damsel’ is the movie. Check it out. Millie, thanks for stopping by. - Thank you.