“Thank you guys so much for coming on and talking with me,” Millie Bobby Brown starts off with this greeting as we virtual sat down with the Stranger Things star through a Zoom conference. She briefly apologizes for her messy makeup on camera (it wasn’t at all), then shares that it’s nine in the evening on her side of the world.
“I love that you’re all women journalists,” she adds, seeing our faces on screen, “That makes me so happy, I love that!” If Enola Holmes were with us that day, surely she would enjoy our conversations too. Brown’s latest project, Netflix film Enola Holmes, features her as the titular character. This is her first movie in the lead role, and also the very first film she is producing — at age sixteen!
Feisty, whip-smart, sleuthing, and charming, Enola Holmes is brought to life by Millie Bobby Brown so naturally because she sees a lot of herself in Enola, Sherlock Holmes’ little sister. The new Netflix film is directed by Harry Bradbeer (‘Fleabag’) and features an all-star cast that includes Henry Cavill, Helena Bonham Carter, and Sam Claflin.
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Read highlights of the exclusive virtual roundtable interview with the “Enola Holmes” star and producer as she shares about her character, being female in the entertainment industry, and producing a movie for the first time.
Not only are you the lead in this film, you’re also a producer for the very first time. So how was the experience like being both actor and producer at the same time?
Millie Bobby Brown: It was incredibly rewarding to be able to star in this film and also be part of the production. I had a great opportunity, and obviously, I took it. I believe that we should have more young female filmmakers out there on sets. So I had, you know, this opportunity to do this and of course I would because I also love the production side of filming, so I was all up for it. And of course there were struggles at times, but it’s a new learning experience and I had so much fun.
How did you produce and act at the same time? Were you solely focused on the movie or did you have difficulty in scheduling?
No, I was fully focused on the film. So when I was in London, and I was solely focused on getting this done. And if I wasn’t on set, I was probably at the production office talking with Harry, doing stunts, in meetings, so I definitely felt like the producer, which was very exciting. With every project I do, I always tell my team, when I’m working, I’m working. I want to focus on one thing at a time so I can do my best, and that’s what we did with this film.
We took off this certain amount of time so that I could fully focus and then I took off time after so that I could heal my body from they work that I did. You guys know it can be exhausting working. And as much as you love it, you put a lot of time and effort into it. So you obviously need to repay yourself and give yourself back the time you lost. So I went on a really nice vacation with my family afterwards and spent lots of time with them. Because I think I missed so much time, I was always at work.
I wanted to ask about the difference of the characters of Enola and Sherlock. So in the movie Sherlock is kind of established as a detective, but what do you think Enola has as an edge over Sherlock in terms of sleuthing skills? What do you think sets her apart from his style?
Well, I think they’re two very different detectives. Because Sherlock is one to sit back and observe and take notes, and Enola is more observant, but she will get it done herself. She doesn’t wait. She’s not patient. And she really isn’t afraid of anything, which gets her into trouble but ultimately makes her stronger. So I think they’re two very different detectives in their own right. Equally as successful as each other. Very different. You know, we have a very masculine man detective, and you have a very young, wild child detective, two very different ages too, but doesn’t take away from their incredible skills to solve mysteries.
