Try as she might, Millie Bobby Brown will be known for her Stranger Things role of Eleven for the immediate future. It’s the blessing, and the curse, of participating in a project that is so ridiculously successful and that has such a lasting impression on popular culture. That’s not to say Brown hasn’t had other wins. She absolutely has, from her participation in the MonsterVerse movies to the Enola Holmes movies, of which she serves as a producer — they are great, so watch them if you have a Netflix subscription. And in fact, while looking over her credits in preparation for Brown’s latest movie Damsel, I noticed a trend I had to bring up.
Yes, Millie Bobby Brown will best be known for Eleven on Stranger Things. But after Eleven and Enola Holmes, the character that she plays in the dragon-sacrifice movie Damsel happens to be named Elodie… another “E” name. Coincidence? Or deliberate trend? When we got the opportunity to speak with Brown about this at the Damsel press junket, she jokingly told CinemaBlend:
I feel like… do you know how Taylor Swift – well, maybe Seanie, I don’t know if you do – but Taylor basically does everything with intention. She has a plan for all her albums, and all of her releases. I'm going to tell you that I do those things, but I don't. Not on purpose anyway. But I'm going to tell you I do. So that I get Swifty fans, like Taylor.
This is not the first time that Millie Bobby Brown has invoked the powerful name of Taylor Swift over the course of her career. And if you are going to mention anyone, then Swift seems like the logical choice. Brown used Taylor Swift lyrics when she revealed her recent engagement to Jake Bongiovi. Brown also went viral on social media when she got caught dancing with a security guard while attending one of Taylor Swift’s shows on the Eras tour. Millie will even casually drop TS lyrics while photo dumping bikini shots on Instagram. These two have a long history!
Now I feel like it’s only fair that Taylor Swift return the favor. Recently the singer surprised fans with the announcement of a new album, The Tortured Poets Department, which already has fans scouring the internet for clues as to the motivations behind each track. Could one be a tribute to her friend MIllie Bobby Brown? Or will they all be reflective odes to the latest love in Swift’s life, Super Bowl winning tight end Travis Kelce?
Damsel, in the meantime, is a worthy entry into the fantasy genre, with MIllie Bobby Brown playing a princess who doesn’t realize she’s being sacrificed by her husband to a fire-breathing dragon. It’s one of the better movies available on Netflix at the moment, so pop it up on the streaming service, and get ready to cheer for Brown as she prepares to slay… literally.
