If Eleven and Enola share one thing, it’s Millie Bobby Brown’s knack for making young heroines impossible to forget. Having bid farewell to Stranger Things, the 22-year-old actress returns as the spirited young detective in Enola Holmes 3, taking the sleuth out of Victorian London and into the sun-drenched streets of Malta. In this conversation, Brown talks about producing the franchise, why she enjoys action scenes more than dance ones, and how she wants to continue the legacy of Emma Watson to inspire young girls.
How excited are you to bring Enola Holmes back for a third adventure, and did you always plan on doing another film?
I’m very excited. I loved doing the first two, but I just felt like there was so much more to tell and discover. The first film was about finding out who Enola is. In the second, we got to indulge in her cases, and in this one she is evolving. She has grown up, and she is showing what young women are capable of.
How much did you enjoy filming in Malta?
It was just amazing. We got to live and work there for two months, which was just the best experience. It’s such a colourful, unique and really cool place. I know the audience is going to enjoy seeing these characters taken out of London and into such different surroundings.
Stranger Things was an incredible experience for me. I am honoured to be part of that legacy. But I am also excited about the future and to be able to tell my stories
Helena Bonham Carter is back playing your mother and Henry Cavill returns as your brother, Sherlock Holmes. How much do you enjoy working with them?
I love it. They are amazing. I am a huge Helena Bonham Carter fan, so working with her and having her play my mother is a dream come true. She’s such an incredible actor. And I love working with Henry. He is so talented and such a joy to work with. He’s Enola’s big brother, and he’s really like a big brother to me too.
Why is it important to you to both star and produce a project that is so empowering to girls and young women?
It’s something I really believe in. I want to encourage young people to watch, and I am so grateful for all the Enola fans out there. I love how much the character means to people, to young girls, especially. I only wish I had an Enola Holmes when I was growing up. I mean, I did have American actors and characters who I found empowering when I was growing up, but no one like Enola. Emma Watson in Harry Potter definitely inspired me. She was probably the closest my generation had to Enola, but she wasn’t the lead in her own adventures.
In the film, Enola constantly breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience. What was it like doing these scenes?
So much fun. I love it any time Enola gets to talk straight to the audience. It’s like vlogging all day long. It feels like I am narrating the film. I love it so much that now I have the deep-rooted fear that I’ll never be able to stop myself looking at the camera in everything. I’m obsessed with it.
What qualities would you say you share with Enola?
We definitely have a similar sense of humour. Enola is quick and witty, although sometimes she hits with her humour and sometimes she totally misses. I know what that’s like (laughs). I have been playing her since I was 14 years old, so Enola has a lot of my qualities and flaws, I would say.
Where do you think Enola’s power comes from?
I think from her hunger and her willingness to learn and to know more. I think that’s a wonderful inspiration to young girls. It’s about education and learning. That is where power comes from, and that’s how we will change the world for the better.
Enola has some impressive moves and a quick mind. How much training do you have to do for those action scenes?
For this one, I didn’t have to train quite as much. I did about three months of training for the first Enola Holmes. But I love the action scenes, much more than the dancing scenes actually.
What was it about the dancing you didn’t like?
It was just really hard to stay on beat and to act out a scene at the same time.
This is the first time we have seen you on screen since Stranger Things ended. How do you feel now you are moving on from that show?
It’s bittersweet. I miss everyone. Stranger Things was an incredible experience for me. I learned so much. It will always be a part of me, and I am honoured to be part of that legacy. But I am also excited about the future and to be able to tell some stories of my own.
Is there any similarity between Enola and Eleven?
I would say they are both strong characters. I always really gravitate towards strong female characters, so that is what they share in relation to each other.
Finally, will we see you back as Enola Holmes for a fourth time?
I hope so. I would love to do more, but we have no plans yet. We’ll see.