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There's no shortage of love for Stranger Things Season Four. While the hit Netflix show certainly has its fair share of inconsistencies and plot holes, this latest season really struck a chord with audience members. Part of that has to do with the iconic use of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" and the latest additions to the cast, namely Joseph Quinn and Jamie Campbell Bower, who totally lost himself in his villainous role. But what worked in earlier seasons also worked in the fourth installment. And that includes the dynamic between Matthew Modine's Dr. Brenner (AKA Papa) and Millie Bobby Brown's Eleven.
In a couple of recent interviews, Matthew shed light on the exceptionally unique relationship the two actors share...
Does Dr. Brenner Care About Eleven?
According to Matthew Modine's excellent interview by Vulture, Dr. Brenner (AKA Papa) absolutely did love Eleven. But he absolutely doesn't defend what his character did to Eleven or the rest of the children.
"There’s something called a “flea in the jar” experiment. If you put a flea in nature, the flea can jump seven feet," Matthew began. "If you take the same flea and put it inside of a jar and put the lid on it, the flea, believing it can jump seven feet, will jump and bang its head against the lid. After several jumps and banging its head against the lid, the flea begins to believe that’s all the world is. When you remove the lid and put the flea back in nature, it will never jump seven feet again, because it’s been conditioned to believe it can only jump a few inches. This is a good metaphor for Dr. Brenner and the children. While he’s doing things to expand their abilities through telekinetic powers, he’s created an environment that has the children inside of a jar in order to control them. This is what I would define as mental slavery, and it’s an unforgivable crime. Somebody that would create this environment is not, by any means or any stretch of the imagination, a good person."
Matthew Modine And Millie Bobby Brown's Relationship
During his recent interview with Vulture, Matthew Modine shed some light on his relationship with Millie Bobby Brown. of course, the pair have been working opposite each other since the first season. And most of Matthew's scenes in the entire series have been across from Millie exclusively. So, he has had the unique experience of seeing her grow up on her own.
"Millie was 11 years old when we began working. The thing about children is the best thing to do is leave them alone," Matthew explained. "When we watch a child playing with a dump truck in the sandbox, they believe the dump truck is a giant truck that’s moving the earth and picking up tons of sand and they’re inside the Tonka driving it. It’s all a very real world. So the best thing to do with a young actor is to allow them to be. What you want to avoid is gimmicks and tricks the parents can impose on them. The good thing is that Millie’s parents and family understood that. They are so grateful for Millie to be able to have a scene partner like myself, because all I wanted her to do was succeed and be the best actor she could be."
Matthew went on to explain their unique working dynamic by using a tennis analogy... naturally...
"If I’m Björn Borg, John McEnroe, or Rafael Nadal, if my partner can’t hit the ball back over the net, I can’t show you how good my game is. What you want to do is make the person on the other side of the net, your scene partner, be the best performer they are capable of being."
"So you work with them and you learn the dialogue — you understand the idea behind the dialogue, why the character’s saying this, why the character’s doing this, and what kind of physical behavior is important to represent to the audience, so they can understand what’s going on emotionally. These were all conversations I was having with a young child. The gift that Millie has is a tremendous intelligence and understanding of what I was talking about and the ability to take a very specific direction."
Matthew Modine Thinks Millie Bobby Brown Has Become A Great Actor
Of course, Millie's ability to comprehend and play the game on his level only increased as they aged. This was important given the sheer level of intensity within their scenes in Season Four.
"There were times this season when we would check in with each other, especially during scenes where we’re being harmful to one another," Matthew said. "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. It was a way to connect with one another and lift each other’s game. By season four, using the tennis metaphor again, I was playing with Serena Williams. I was playing with an expert at her craft. There were times I would look away and turn around, and all of a sudden I was working with Judy Garland. I’d turn away again, and all of a sudden she looked like Natalie Wood. There’s something 'old Hollywood' about her."
In an interview with Still Watching Netflix, Matthew said that he honestly loves Millie Bobby Brown in a paternal way, and based on his comments in the Vulture interview, this seems to be evident.
In Dr. Brenner's supposedly final scene with Eleven, he says that everything he's ever done has been for her. This is a statement Matthew claims to find truth in as everything he's ever done on the set was for Millie's benefit. And there's no doubt that she feels extremely grateful to have been handled with such love and care by the veteran actor.