How Millie Bobby Brown Was Cast Before Actually Being Cast in Godzilla 2

Millie Bobby Brown was cast in Godzilla: King of the Monsters before she was even officially offered the role. Brown was launched into the spotlight after she appeared on the hit Netflix show Stranger Things in 2016 as the character Eleven. Now, Brown’s next big role is the character Madison Russell in the follow-up film to Gareth Edwards’ 2014 Godzilla. 

Godzilla: King of the Monsters will feature several giant Kaiju, known as Titans, but the only ones confirmed so far are Mothra, King Ghidorah, Rodan, and of course, Godzilla. While many people will be going to theaters next week to watch giant monsters duke it out on screen, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have also put together a talented cast of human actors Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Ken Watanabe, Charles Dance, and O’Shea Jackson Jr. Brown was cast in Godzilla: King of the Monsters shortly after Michael Dougherty was hired as director, but now it looks like it was always the plan to have Brown in the film.

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Dougherty revealed that Brown’s face had been used for the pre-visualization work on the film. Dougherty further explained that since they had been seeing her as a character throughout the film’s development (and because he was a big fan of Stranger Things), they decided to ask her to be in the actual film. The full quote from Dougherty can be read below:

“Millie’s great. She was still…Season 2 of Stranger Things had just been shot. Not even aired yet. I was a huge fan of the show and my pre-viz animators and I used her face as reference, as a model for the pre-viz for the movie before we ever cast her. We got so used to seeing her face that we just kind of said, “Well…why don’t we make her the offer?” And we had a breakfast here at The London, years ago, and we actually spent more time talking about our mutual love of animals and pet reptiles and just a love of nature that I think she clicked with the themes of the film.”

While the character Madison Russell hasn’t appeared in a Godzilla movie before, there are rumors that Brown might be one of Mothra’s fairies. In the Toho Godzilla films, Mothra would always use twin fairies to communicate with mankind. While Madison Russell and her mother Dr. Emma Russell might not be actual fairies per se, they still seem to have a special link with Mothra in the Godzilla: King of the Monsters trailers.

With as popular as Stranger Things quickly became, it makes sense why Dougherty and his animators used her in the pre-visualization work before even offering her the role. Brown is no doubt an up and coming star, and her acting career doesn’t show signs of slowing down anytime soon. Not only will Brown be starring in Godzilla: King of the Monsters this Summer, but Stranger Things returns for season 3 in July as well. Godzilla: King of the Monsters has gotten positive early reactions, so the film will likely be another win for Brown.

About The Author

Christopher Fiduccia
(1109 Articles Published)

Christopher is a news writer, editor, and senior trainer at Screen Rant. He graduated from Rock Valley College in 2018 with an Associate of Arts degree and a Media Production Specialist certificate.

After running his own movie blog for over five years, Christopher joined the Screen Rant team in 2018 as a list writer. Christopher is a sucker for ‘80s horror and giant monster movies but has covered a wide range of topics during his employment at Screen Rant.

More From Christopher Fiduccia