Matthew Modine shares how checking in with each other helped him and Millie Bobby Brown with difficult scenes on Stranger Things.

How an Off-Screen “I Love You” Made Filming Easier for Millie Bobby Brown and Matthew Modine

Despite gruesome CGI monsters, telekinesis, and fantastical storylines, the
essence of Stranger Things comes from the chemistry between the characters.
Whether it is love, friendship, or even manipulation, the portrayal is very
real. Matthew Modine and Millie Bobby Brown share an extremely complex bond on
screen as Papa and Eleven. While the relationship might seem farfetched or
over-the-top on the surface, the core is rooted in reality.

An overprotective father figure
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-negatively-painted-father-figures-of-netflix-shows-martin-brenner-st-and-sir-reginald-hargreeves-tua-deserve-better-elucidations/],
a diabolical control freak, or a cruel
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-matthew-modine-uses-a-strong-word-to-describe-the-disturbing-behavior-of-dr-brenner-towards-children/]
master puppeteer — Matthew Modine’s Papa has a layered personality. Scenes with
him and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) range from heartwarming to downright
heart-wrenching and everything in between. A major factor for their amazing
depiction of the convoluted dynamic is their off-screen relationship.


MATTHEW MODINE AND MILLIE BOBBY BROWN OFF-SCREEN

Stranger Things [https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/stranger-things/] 4 saw some very
intense scenes between Eleven and Papa. In an exclusive interview with Vulture,
Modine opened up
[https://www.vulture.com/article/stranger-things-4-matthew-modine-dr-brenner-death-interview.html?]
about how they handled the more difficult scenes in the Netflix series. He and
Millie Bobby Brown would “check in with each other, especially during scenes
where we’re being harmful to one another.”



Revealing their pre-filming process, Modine says, “We would begin by saying, “I
love you.” We would wink at each other before a scene started so we knew what we
were doing, especially if it was saying something painful.” Modine expressed
that this would help them “connect with one another and lift each other’s game.”
He believes Brown is “an expert at her craft”. Modine even compared Millie Bobby
Brown to Judy Garland and Natalie Wood while pointing out her “old Hollywood”
charm.

ALSO READ: Vecna Could Get Trapped in His Own Trance If He Messes With THIS
‘Stranger Things’ Character
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-originals-vecna-could-get-trapped-in-his-own-trance-if-he-messes-with-this-stranger-things-character/]


MODINE RECALLS SEASON 1 ELEVEN AND PAPA

With Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) losing her powers at the end of season 3, her
reunion with the still alive Dr. Brenner was inevitable. Back to his
manipulative and controlling ways, he helps Eleven revive her abilities. They
were right where they started in season 1, the complex dynamics
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-theres-no-past-without-papa-millie-bobby-brown-and-matthew-modine-talks-about-the-complex-dynamics-of-their-relationship-in-stranger-things/]
of the father-daughter/captor-hostage situation.

[data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==]https://netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/stranger-things-season-4-bts-06.webp

Recalling their origin story from season 1, Matthew Modine narrated his approach
with the 11-year-old Millie Bobby Brown. In his opinion, when working with
children, “the best thing to do is leave them alone.” Giving a tennis analogy,
he explains, one should “make the person on the other side of the net, your
scene partner, be the best performer they are capable of being.”



They also had conversations about the character’s motivation and the “idea
behind the dialogue” so that the child actor could “understand what’s going on
emotionally.” Matthew spoke fondly of Brown’s gift of “tremendous intelligence
and understanding of what I was talking about and the ability to take a very
specific direction.”

ALSO READ: This ‘Rick and Morty’ Meme Shows Us Why ‘Stranger Things’ Needs to Be
Taken With a Grain of Salt
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-this-rick-and-morty-meme-shows-us-why-stranger-things-needs-to-be-taken-with-a-grain-of-salt/]

No wonder Eleven and Papa have such amazing chemistry on-screen. Every
interaction, every conflict, and every altercation is nothing short of pure
magic. Tell us some of your favorite Stranger Things scenes between Millie Bobby
Brown and Matthew Modine.

Natasha Vijan

Comment

How an Off-Screen “I Love You” Made Filming Easier for Millie Bobby Brown and Matthew Modine - Netflix Junkie

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Natasha is a writer at Netflix Junkie. Despite completing her Masters in Architecture from Hochschule Anhalt in Germany, she decided to follow her passion for storytelling.

Apart from working as an architect in the past, Natasha currently also ghostwrites for various travel and lifestyle blogs like italyfoodies.com, mypureplants.com and more. Moreover, she has also been involved as a screenplay analyst with Outstanding Screenplays London.

An avid cinephile, Natasha especially enjoys quirky dark comedies and gangster films. She can talk about films by Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie for days and even aspires to make her own film someday. When not at work, she can be found at at outdoor music concert or a stand-up gig. Additionally, she’s a feminist, LGBTQIA ally and a strong mental health advocate.

https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-how-an-off-screen-i-love-you-made-filming-easier-for-millie-bobby-brown-and-matthew-modine-stranger-things

How an Off-Screen “I Love You” Made Filming Easier for Millie Bobby Brown and Matthew Modine - netflix-junkie

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<p>Despite gruesome CGI monsters, telekinesis, and fantastical storylines, the essence of <em>Stranger Things</em> comes from the chemistry between the characters. Whether it is love, friendship, or even manipulation, the portrayal is very real. Matthew Modine and Millie Bobby Brown share an extremely complex bond on screen as Papa and Eleven. While the relationship might seem farfetched or over-the-top on the surface, the core is rooted in reality.</p>
<p>An overprotective <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-negatively-painted-father-figures-of-netflix-shows-martin-brenner-st-and-sir-reginald-hargreeves-tua-deserve-better-elucidations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">father figure</a>, a diabolical control freak, or a <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-matthew-modine-uses-a-strong-word-to-describe-the-disturbing-behavior-of-dr-brenner-towards-children/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cruel</a> master puppeteer — Matthew Modine&#8217;s Papa has a layered personality. Scenes with him and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) range from heartwarming to downright heart-wrenching and everything in between. A major factor for their amazing depiction of the convoluted dynamic is their off-screen relationship.</p>
<h2>Matthew Modine and Millie Bobby Brown off-screen</h2>
<p><a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/stranger-things/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Stranger Things</em></a> 4 saw some very intense scenes between Eleven and Papa. In an exclusive interview with Vulture, Modine <a href="https://www.vulture.com/article/stranger-things-4-matthew-modine-dr-brenner-death-interview.html?" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opened up</a> about how they handled the more difficult scenes in the Netflix series. He and Millie Bobby Brown would &#8220;<em>check in with each other, especially during scenes where we&#8217;re being harmful to one another.&#8221;</em></p>
<div class="flex-video widescreen youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Stranger Things 4 Vol. 2 | Eleven vs. Papa" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LVb-p0kxXd8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>Revealing their pre-filming process, Modine says, &#8220;<em>We would begin by saying, “I love you.” We would wink at each other before a scene started so we knew what we were doing, especially if it was saying something painful.&#8221; </em>Modine expressed that this would help them<em> &#8220;connect with one another and lift each other’s game.&#8221; </em>He believes Brown is<em> &#8220;an expert at her craft&#8221;. </em>Modine even compared Millie Bobby Brown to<strong> Judy Garland and Natalie Wood</strong> while pointing out her &#8220;<em>old Hollywood</em>&#8221; charm.</p>
<p><strong>ALSO READ: </strong><a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-originals-vecna-could-get-trapped-in-his-own-trance-if-he-messes-with-this-stranger-things-character/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vecna Could Get Trapped in His Own Trance If He Messes With THIS ‘Stranger Things’ Character</a></p>
<h2>Modine recalls season 1 Eleven and Papa</h2>
<p>With Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) losing her powers at the end of season 3, her reunion with the still alive Dr. Brenner was inevitable. Back to his manipulative and controlling ways, he helps Eleven revive her abilities. They were right where they started in season 1, the <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-theres-no-past-without-papa-millie-bobby-brown-and-matthew-modine-talks-about-the-complex-dynamics-of-their-relationship-in-stranger-things/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complex dynamics</a> of the father-daughter/captor-hostage situation.</p>
<p><a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/stranger-things-season-4-bts-06.webp"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-40368 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" data-src="https://netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/stranger-things-season-4-bts-06.webp" alt="" width="1600" height="1200" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/stranger-things-season-4-bts-06.webp 1600w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/stranger-things-season-4-bts-06-300x225.webp 300w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/stranger-things-season-4-bts-06-1024x768.webp 1024w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/stranger-things-season-4-bts-06-768x576.webp 768w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/stranger-things-season-4-bts-06-1536x1152.webp 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></a></p>
<p>Recalling their origin story from season 1, Matthew Modine narrated his approach with the 11-year-old Millie Bobby Brown. In his opinion, when working with children, &#8220;<em>the best thing to do is leave them alone.&#8221; </em>Giving a tennis analogy, he explains, one should &#8220;<em>make the person on the other side of the net, your scene partner, be the best performer they are capable of being</em>.&#8221;</p>
<div class="flex-video widescreen youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Stranger Things - Danger" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JyPSsLgA1xU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>They also had conversations about the character&#8217;s motivation and the &#8220;<em>idea behind the dialogue</em>&#8221; so that the child actor could &#8220;<em>understand what&#8217;s going on emotionally</em>.&#8221; Matthew spoke fondly of Brown&#8217;s gift of &#8220;<em>tremendous intelligence and understanding of what I was talking about and the ability to take a very specific direction.</em>&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>ALSO READ: </strong><a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-this-rick-and-morty-meme-shows-us-why-stranger-things-needs-to-be-taken-with-a-grain-of-salt/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This ‘Rick and Morty’ Meme Shows Us Why ‘Stranger Things’ Needs to Be Taken With a Grain of Salt</a></p>
<p>No wonder Eleven and Papa have such amazing chemistry on-screen. Every interaction, every conflict, and every altercation is nothing short of pure magic. Tell us some of your favorite<em> Stranger Things</em> scenes between Millie Bobby Brown and Matthew Modine.</p>


This ‘Rick and Morty’ Meme Shows Us Why ‘Stranger Things’ Needs to Be Taken With
a Grain of Salt

Vecna Could Get Trapped in His Own Trance If He Messes With THIS ‘Stranger
Things’ Character

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Natasha is a writer at Netflix Junkie. Despite completing her Masters in Architecture from Hochschule Anhalt in Germany, she decided to follow her passion for storytelling. Apart from working as an architect in the past, Natasha currently also ghostwrites for various travel and lifestyle blogs like italyfoodies.com, mypureplants.com and more. Moreover, she has also been involved as a screenplay analyst with Outstanding Screenplays London. An avid cinephile, Natasha especially enjoys quirky dark comedies and gangster films. She can talk about films by Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie for days and even aspires to make her own film someday. When not at work, she can be found at at outdoor music concert or a stand-up gig. Additionally, she’s a feminist, LGBTQIA ally and a strong mental health advocate.

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How an Off-Screen “I Love You” Made Filming Easier for Millie Bobby Brown and Matthew Modine

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