MovieChat Forums > Stranger Things (2016) Discussion > Are the actors getting too much fame, to...

Are the actors getting too much fame, too fast?

posted 7 years ago by Freakflag1 (126)
23 replies | jump to latest

I've noticed Millie Bobby Brown is everywhere. I've read her parents seem to be typical stage parents and I worry for MBB.

The Wolfhard kid who plays Mike seems to be everywhere too, and is in a band that's now making a record. The kid can't even really sing. He's also been videod being kind of rude.

I can see these in particular letting Fame go to their heads and thinking they are above everything. Finn seems to kind of be getting cocky and full of himself.

Hopefully they realize fans are what can make or break them. If they are rude to fans, they'll turn on them and they won't have any audience left.

And yes I know they're fourteen, and not obligated to sign or speak with fans, but they're also in the public eye and it only takes a few seconds or minutes to show appreciation and kindness towards those who support you.

I am hoping they turn into successful actors and are not ruined by Hollywood.

[–] Truthtalker (1979) 7 years ago

You bet.
They are going to be on drugs, antidepressants and rehab for the rest of their lives

[–] Xenopharb (617) 7 years ago

Yes, but that's how it goes in that business.

Also, one shouldn't expect them to always stop and talk with fans. They have to have their own lives.

[–] chrisjdel (2714) 7 years ago

Yeah, Millie may be getting pushed too hard by her parents. It's hard to know though. I've heard several former child actors say that kids who are forced to go a lot harder than they want to, eventually end up feeling like they've missed out on their childhoods. Those are the ones who rebel and start going off the rails in their late teens. If they're okay with a heavy focus on their acting careers, or are actually the driving force behind it, they don't tend to have those issues. Like they said in the Matrix movies, it's all about choice. Parents of these talented kids need to listen to them. And not blur the line between their own ambitions and what's truly best for their children.

No actor always stops to interact with fans. Sometimes people have been up more than 24 hours or just got off a 16 hour flight. They're dead tired, and simply want to get where they're going. If they've received online death threats or something of that nature, their own security people will discourage them from mingling, at least until the threat sender has been arrested.

I haven't seen Finn Wolfhard being rude. Are we talking normal teenage male cockiness here, or something more like "I'm a star, who the hell are you?"

I also hope they do well. The Duffers have managed to assemble one of the most impressive groups of up-and-coming young actors we've seen in a long time. Any or all of them could have long film careers filled with little gold trophies.

[–] NostalgiaGoddess (79) 7 years ago

I don't think the fame is negatively affecting the kids in a way that it's turning them into brats. In fact, more people lauded on the guy that Finn was supposedly "rude" to, considering that this was a grown adult who felt entitled to 14 year old's presence.

In fact, I kinda worry about these kids, considering how these kids are getting sexualized.

[–] DracTarashV2 (4493) 7 years ago

Can we someday expect to see some of them pop up in headlines for bad behavior (not stuff like not giving fans the time of day) and such? All I can say is, I wish ‘em luck. Especially Millie who will possibly be the “talk of the town” for years to come.

I don’t know if they are being “sexualized” by Hollywood, but with all the things that are going on right now in Tinseltown, hopefully things will change for child actors (all actors) and they won’t be pressured into doing things they don’t want/shouldn’t ...either by Hollywood or their own parents.

As for Finn’s band, singing chops aren’t necessary when you just want to rock out.

[–] Freakflag1 (126) 7 years ago

All I've seen of Millie is on stranger things and she doesn't say much, we really don't have a very thorough view of her ability. She's cute and charismatic for sure though.

[–] DracTarashV2 (4493) 7 years ago

She’s very quiet as Eleven but she projects so much emotion convincingly. Her facial expressions are just perfect in the more intense sequences. So to me, she is wonderfully subtle in the show.

True it remains to be seen how effective she can be in other things aside from Stranger Things, but I’d say she has shown plenty of potential.

[–] chrisjdel (2714) 7 years ago

There was a short-lived BBC America series called Intruders, where Millie (at the age of 9) played a girl possessed by the soul of a serial killer. She's one of the few child actors I've seen who could pull off talking and acting like an adult and make it seem real. The show had an intriguing premise but was a little too slow-burn for me. Her performance was the one really memorable part. I remember one scene where she threatened a ticket agent at the bus station who refused to sell a ticket to an unaccompanied minor. Great stuff. I didn't recognize her in Stranger Things until somebody else mentioned that she was the little girl from Intruders. I'd be willing to bet the Duffers got her in to read for the part of Eleven based on that show.

[–] nauru-1 (160) 7 years ago

Best scene of hers in that show IMO was when she was blackmailing the businessman. Making obscene comments and gestures to make him uncomfortable, and then feigning an innocent persona to a witness to make him look like a predator. Yikes!

[–] chrisjdel (2714) 7 years ago

Yeah, I remember that scene. She asked if he was banging his secretary and demonstrated with hip thrusting motions. When he tried throwing her out she threatened to scream rape, and he knew she could just play the innocent victim and he'd be in trouble. Who's going to believe there's an evil old man inhabiting her body? There was another scene somewhere in the show where she said she was going to ѕhit, shower and shave, which is definitely not something you'd ever hear from a nine year old. You could almost forget that she was just a kid watching her performance, and see the old man. That kind of talent is rare. Usually a kid pretending to be an adult tries way too hard and overacts the part.

[–] Bowilly (171) 7 years ago

I really enjoyed the remarks in your post. Your statement “she is wonderfully subtle in the show” is the best comment I’ve ever heard describing Millie’s performance as Eleven.

Millie’s performance to me is outstanding in every way and I think I would describe it like this. When I watch Eleven on screen, I see Eleven, not Millie the actress.

[–] DracTarashV2 (4493) 7 years ago

Precisely. She was better than ever in the second season, but I can think of many moments from the first season alone where she shows just how talented she is as an actress — and without saying much of course.

The wide range of emotions she expresses throughout the show - sometimes in a single scene - such as fear, confusion, rage, happiness, sadness, regret. etc. are so believable and tangible, it’s difficult to picture another actress her age doing a better job in the role. She was the perfect choice for Eleven, bar none.

[–] ADHC (6) 7 years ago

I thought she was really good in season one, but actually really struggled with her acting in season two. The way she delivered her lines just fell flat me about half the time. I haven't seen anyone else complaining about that though.

[–] nauru-1 (160) 7 years ago

Any specific examples?

[–] ADHC (6) 7 years ago

Sure. When she says "trick-or-treat" to hopper when she's in her ghost costume it just came out really weird, like robotic maybe? The reunion scene with her and Mike, the way she says 353 days (or whatever amount it was) just felt really cheesy in the delivery. Honestly, just a lot of her lines felt like the delivery was weird. Maybe that's what they we going for? It must have worked for everyone else because I haven't seen anyone else complain.

[–] nauru-1 (160) 7 years ago

I see what you mean with the "353 days" line. It's fairly melodramatic for someone typically lacking in social interaction. Someone once suggested this delivery was a product of the soap operas she's been watching, and I suppose it could be a leftover of the "El getting knowledge from TV" storyline they are on record as planning and not having room for. If that was actually intentional, I would have wanted them to make it clearer.

The other line doesn't bother me as much, mainly because I find the awkward delivery kind of fitting given it's a compound term she may be trying out for the first time aloud.

I know the examples you gave are from Duffer-directed episodes, but Millie has also mentioned the challenges she faced in keeping her character consistent with the directors other than Shawn Levy and the Duffer brothers. I personally thought the naivety of El isn't quite as apparent in those episodes (admittedly, it's mainly episode 7 as she's only in 5 for a little bit), and this could be a factor.

[–] ADHC (6) 7 years ago

That definitely could be a factor. For whatever reason she just didn't mesh with me this year, but as I said, I seem to be the only one.

[–] Costumer (1825) 7 years ago

>>>the way she says 353 days<<<

Except that's how she referred to that time to everyone. She always said 3 hundred and whatever days. To me, that was just the way she marks time, rather than say weeks, months or years.

[–] Nauru-1 (14) 7 years ago

I think the poster is referring more to her sentimental delivery than the actual line itself.

[–] ADHC (6) 7 years ago

Yes, that is what I meant. It was her delivery on a lot of her lines in season two that felt off to me, not the lines themselves.

[–] Bowilly (171) 7 years ago

When I read the comments stating that we can’t be sure about Millie’s talent because Eleven doesn’t speak very much I have to disagree. Her ability to express these emotions with little or no dialogue, I think exposes her talent even more.

[–] Greenleaf24 (126) 7 years ago

I don’t just worry about their fame but I worry more about their physical and mental health. I can’t imagine imagine how exhausted these kids are from this insane press tour. I hope they don’t work the kids into mental breakdowns. I also hope the adults involved with the show (as well as the parents) and doing everything in their power to keep the kids level headed and allowing them to be children. The Harry Potter crew did this really well so I hope they are taking lessons learned from them!

[–] chrisjdel (2714) 7 years ago

Most child stars are doing exactly what they love to do. If you saw the Stranger Things kids last year on stage performing Uptown Funk, they were having a great time. Most of us would be nervous as hell in front of that many people but they were loving it! The arts - singing, dancing, acting, etc. - are examples of careers you can pursue at any age, as opposed to being a doctor or astronaut, which require years of education and specialized training first.

For kids who already know their calling, it's perfectly alright for them to go on tour and be busy because they enjoy that stuff. This doesn't mean they can't get burned out if too many demands are placed on them. Adults can suffer from exhaustion too. The key thing for their parents and others is to listen to the kids. They'll tell you when you're asking too much, provided you're paying attention.