Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven has faced terrifying monsters, sinister experiments and countless horrors of the Upside Down in ‘Stranger Things’. And somehow, she is still the brave and nonchalant baddie we know and love.
But behind the scenes, the actress wasn’t prepared for her very first close encounter with Hawkins’ biggest villain: Jamie Campbell Bower’s Vecna. When she first came face-to-face with Bower in full costume, Brown couldn’t stop herself from bursting into tears.
Millie Bobby Brown Couldn’t Help But Cry At The Sight Of Vecna
Season 4 of the Netflix hit ‘Stranger Things’ introduced Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna, the terrifying, undead villain whose grotesque appearance instantly made him the show’s most unforgettable monster.
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During Eleven’s unforgettable confrontation with Vecna, the creature gains the upper hand by binding her with vine-like extensions of his hive mind, stripping her of any power. Unfortunately, the scene was as intense in reality as it was seen on screen.
While filming, the two actors had to stand uncomfortably close to exchange dialogue. Brown certainly didn’t expect to be inches away from Bower in full Vecna makeup and immediately broke down.
Speaking to Variety, Bower recalled: “They brought her up into a position where she’s bound. I walked up to her, and she burst into tears. She wouldn’t look at me, and she was visibly just disgusted by the whole thing.”
Thankfully, the moment didn’t last long. Brown hilariously realised it was only Bower underneath the layers of prosthetics because of one unexpected clue. “After she cried and I made it obvious that she knew it was me, one of the things she said was that, ‘I knew it was you when I could smell cigarettes,’ because I’m a smoker,” he shared.
Jamie Campbell Bower’s Gruelling Vecna Transformation Was Worth Every Minute
The reason Vecna looked so convincing to even make Millie Bobby Brown cry was all because of one special detail. The Duffer Brothers insisted on creating the character using practical effects rather than relying entirely on CGI.
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To bring the horrifying villain to life, prosthetics designer Barrie Gower crafted an incredibly detailed suit for Bower. But his transformation into the monster was anything but easy.
The look required 25 individual pieces of latex and silicone prosthetics to be glued onto his body using medical-grade adhesive. Bower spent around hours in the make-up chair every day, often beginning his workday at 3 A.M. After filming for another 10 to 12 hours, he still had to endure roughly an hour-long removal process before he could call it a day.
Fortunately, the painful process ultimately paid off. Not only did he become one of the most iconic villains on our screens, but he also left Millie Bobby Brown traumatised in real life.
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