Ever since Netflix’s megahit Stranger Things graced our screens and we collectively saw Eleven for the first time, we knew she wasn’t one to mess with. That’s in great part because Millie Bobby Brown, who plays the supernatural hero, faces monsters like the Demogorgan and demodogs with ease. However, while she’s pretty cool, calm and collected on screen, behind the scenes, it’s different as she opened up about the fact that she’s genuinely terrified of Jamie Campbell Bower’s Vecna, or more so, his costume.
Amid production on Stranger Things’ fifth season, Brown attended The Upside Down event the Epic Cons, and she shared her take on the scary Vecna costume. In a clip from the panel posted by @schylerdixon on TikTok, the young star humorously talked about her Hawkin Lab friend-turned-enemy’s costume and her general dislike of items covering other peoples’ faces. She shared:
I’m terrified of his costume, it scares me. I don’t like masks, which is crazy because I’m at Comic-Con, but I don’t like people covering their faces, it freaks me out. It’s definitely a phobia, and I’ve had it since I was little. And so he comes onto set, and I’m like ‘Who is that?’ They’re like ‘It’s Jamie.’ I’m like ‘That’s not Jamie, that is a Gremlin that lives in my closet and is waiting for me to fall asleep to kill me.’ And they’re like ‘No, no it’s Jamie.’ I’m like ‘No, I’m not coming on the set.’ So, I go in my tent, I literally sob. And Jake [Bongiovi], he’s like ‘You gotta calm down. It’s fine, you’re gonna be fine. You have to find something that reminds you of Jamie.’ And I’m like ‘Nothing reminds me of Jamie! He has slimy hands and feet. It was horrible!’ So, then I close my eyes, and I smell on [Jamie’s] breath cigarettes, and I was like ‘That’s Jamie.’
Luckily for Brown, she found something to diffuse her fear of the Vecna costume. I don’t think anyone can blame her for being scared, though, especially with the knowledge that the nightmarish villain was inspired by Game of Thrones’ own icy antagonist. He’s truly terrifying, plus he’ll likely only get scarier, as Stranger Things Season 4’s finale only marked the beginning of the end.
Now, I can’t wait to see if there are more stories like this coming down the line as we get closer to Stranger Things Season 5.
While we don’t know much about Season 5 yet, we do know that this will be the end of the series and that there’s a whole lot of hype surrounding the long-awaited conclusion and the fate of these beloved characters. We also assume that Vecna will continue to play a massive role in the series, so I’m happy Millie Bobby Brown found a way to handle her fear of the scary costume.
Now, to go back and see the costume that understandably freaked the Eleven actress out, you can stream the first four seasons of Stranger Things with a Netflix subscription. Then, stay tuned for more updates about Season 5 that will hopefully include more fun (and freaky) stories like this one.