Millie Bobby Brown on Enola Holmes: ‘This is my masterpiece!’
MANILA, Philippines — When the film Enola Holmes world-premieres on Netflix on Sept. 23, you’ll see how lead star Millie Bobby Brown made sure that no one can best embody this whip-smart, free-spirited and empowered young heroine but her.
The 16-year-old British actress’ portrayal will, I dare say, make you even forget her as the enigmatic, psychokinetic, monster-slaying Eleven in the Netflix series Stranger Things. And it’s not easy to disassociate Millie from Eleven, a character well-loved even among Pinoy fans as proven by her successful fan meeting here in 2016 when she was just 12 years old.
But yes, Millie becomes Enola, and wonderfully so.
“Enola and I share many similarities. Enola is very brave. She’s also very honest. Humor is the exact same as mine… We have a heart. You know, we care a lot, and she values her family and that’s the same as me,” said Millie when asked how she connected with her latest onscreen role in a Zoom interview with Filipino and Singaporean journalists last Friday, Sept. 11.
Based on the book series by Nancy Springer, Enola Holmes introduces the world’s greatest private detective, Sherlock Holmes, to his toughest competition yet — his teen sister. And it all begins when Enola turns 16. She finds her mother (Helena Bonham Carter) missing and herself suddenly thrust into the care of her brothers Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft (Sam Claflin), who are both hellbent on sending her to a school that will transform her into a “proper” lady.
But Enola has other plans in mind. In the famous words of Sherlock, the “game is afoot” and off she goes with a mystery — or rather, mysteries — to solve.
During the Zoom chat, aside from reminding us that she’s been to Manila, Millie’s opening line was she was happy to see that the reporters interviewing her were women. That set the tone of the virtual roundtable as she talked about how Enola Holmes became her own coming-of-age story, and an empowering experience for this young artist and young adult woman, who not only stars in the film but also produces it. Here are the excerpts:
On Enola Holmes as a reflection of her own coming of age:
“You know, this is a coming-of-age story about a young girl finding her purpose in life. And, as you all know here, to be a young girl and even in your industry, with journalism, you know it can be difficult to find your place. And because obviously I’m 16 and I am very busy, it’s very hard to take that time to show myself self-love and self-care. So, when filming this, I definitely learned that it’s okay to do that and find your purpose. It’s actually my coming-of-age story as well as Enola’s so we were both really going on a journey together.”
On how shooting the movie became an “empowering” experience:
“You know, before getting into the acting and film industry, I was never like, first of all, just educated enough to know much about women’s rights. Because you don’t really get taught that in school, which is kind of crazy. But what I will say is, when getting into the film industry and working on Stranger Things, I started becoming more exposed to other projects and going on to more sets. I was meeting new people and I definitely found myself in situations where I felt I wasn’t getting equal opportunity as other people.
“I started to experience it myself. I started to realize that it was also because of my gender, because of my age, because of my experience. And I hated it that it was holding me back because I wanted to do what everyone else was doing. And I couldn’t get to because I wasn’t old enough or I didn’t have enough experience, or I was just simply a girl. So filming this film gave me the empowerment to be able to talk about sexism and especially in this industry. And definitely influencing education for young girls so that they can stay educated on their rights.”
On what it was like doing the fight scenes (as Enola knows martial arts):
“Just to confirm, it was not exhausting. I said like, anything you ever do with work, it can be tiring, don’t get me wrong, I deal with it every project. I can even say that about school. School is very exhausting. But no, the stunts were just fun more than anything because I was the one pressuring everyone and saying, ‘Let me do it,’ and they were like, ‘No, no, no!’ ‘Please let me do it. I want to fly-kick the air,’ and they were like, ‘But you need to film tomorrow,’ and I’m like, ‘I don’t care. I’m hiyah!’ And I’m freaking out and everyone’s chill.
“So, I think, the stunts were just very fun and an experience in itself. I was actually never tired. It was more the emotional scenes and the dialogue that would drain me. You know, Enola never stopped talking, similar to me, and I was always very tired at the end of the day but the stunts were the easy part.”
On the positive reviews so far, and her concerns as both producer and star of the film prior to its release:
“I don’t get nervous about that because you’ve got to think of it like this, right: Once you make something, you’ve made it. There’s no going back. There’s no changing it. Inasmuch as I watch myself when I say, I wish I didn’t do that, I wish I didn’t blink at that moment because I could have made that 10 times better, or I wish I didn’t cry at that moment and I changed it, I wish my comedic timing was that, at that moment, you’re gonna sit there and do that all day long.
“I’m genuinely so proud of this film and there is not one moment where I sat and questioned anything or was concerned because what I know is that we made a real collaborative effort. Harry Bradbeer (director), Ali Mendes (one of the producers) and pretty much every cast member put 10 out of 10 effort in this film.
“For me, this is my masterpiece! However, if you love it, I’m so happy. If you don’t, I’m sorry, but this is genuinely one of the most exciting parts of my life. I’ve had to keep the secret from everyone for a really long time, but I haven’t been concerned one bit. Because at the end of the day, I know I’m proud of it. My parents are proud of it. And my little sister Eva doesn’t stop saying, ‘Let’s watch Enola again.’ I’m like, Eva, no, I can’t listen to my voice anymore. I can’t listen to, ‘Now where to begin?’ ‘No, no, no no, stop it now. You go to bed.’ But she’s like, ‘Can we watch it again?’ So when she said that, (I realized that) no, I don’t need to be concerned. She likes it, I think it’s good.”
On the women Millie looks up to and draws inspiration from:
“I have a mom that is very much like Eudoria (mother of Enola). She’s very liberal, laidback, very open and genuinely just one of the kindest people that I’ll ever meet. I tend to find myself looking for friends that are like my mom.
“I think she’s the biggest role model out there and her mom, my Nan. She’s one of the most important people in my life. As a woman that went through World War II and lost many of her family and friends, her stories always moved me and inspired me. And explaining the film plot to my Nan, who has Alzheimer’s, I would always say, ‘Nanny, so I’m playing Sherlock Holmes’ little sister,’ and she goes, ‘Sherlock Holmes has a little sister?’ And I was like, ‘I know. That’s what I said (laughs).’
“I would tell her I was wearing a corset and she told me all about how she would wear those, ‘Cool sh*t, that’s so uncomfortable!’ And so she’d always have something to say about this story, specifically. I loved talking to her about it!
“She also lived in a place called Bethanel Green in London and when I saw it was in there (in Enola Homes), it felt like my grandma was in the film, so I was very, very touched. I have incredible women guiding me through life but those are my two biggest supporters that I genuinely want to be.”
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