Brooklyn Davey Norstedt on Bringing Eleven to Life in Stranger Things: Tales from '85

[00:00:08] Brooklyn, thank you for joining me today on Pop Culture Unplugged. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here. Congrats, Stranger Things, Tales from 85. How excited are you? This project is finally out, the fans are watching it. It's, I can't put it into words. I'm so very excited. I've personally been working on this project for three years and keeping it a secret for so long. So the fact that it's out there now for everyone to see and enjoy, I'm so very excited.

[00:00:37] How did this opportunity come up for you to voice for Eleven? Oh man, well, I got the audition back in November of 2022. I didn't know it was for Stranger Things. They had code names for all of the characters, but the sides felt so familiar, like something I had read before, which I think, you know, it speaks to the writing we have on the show because it does, it's so reminiscent of the original. But yeah, I didn't know what it was for. I didn't hear anything for a long time. I think it wasn't until

[00:01:06] I believe March of 2023 that I got a callback and I was like, wait, I submitted this audition back in November of last year. I did not think anything was going to happen with this. And then, you know, it was a pretty short, sweet, simple callback.

[00:01:19] And then about a month later in, no, two months later in May of 2023, they told me I booked the role, still didn't know it was Stranger Things. Then they told me, welcome to the Stranger Things universe. This is actually Eleven in the new Stranger Things animated series. And I was just absolutely shocked. I couldn't believe it. So yeah, it was, it was, it was rather a wild journey, but I, I'm very, very grateful for everything.

[00:01:46] Any pressure for you to step in the world of, you know, Stranger Things and, you know, voicing somebody like Eleven that originally was played by Millie?

[00:01:54] Oh, absolutely. I mean, you know, there are so many people that care about this show, including me, because I've been a huge fan for years and Eleven is such an iconic character. And I wanted to do her and Millie's performance of it justice. You know, I, I felt so supported by the creative team, like our showrunner, Eric Robles, one of our casting members, Meredith Blaine.

[00:02:16] And they always believed in me from the start. And that really helped me to, it took some of that pressure off, you know? So it was really great to work with them. But yeah, definitely pressure as I worked on it longer. I've gotten more comfortable playing the character and stepping into the world for sure. Did you go back to watch like the first few seasons before you started voicing?

[00:02:38] Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I mean, I did. I mostly watched seasons one and two because, you know, that's the closest to where she is in the animated series. And I kind of wanted to capture that moment in time where she would be developmentally between seasons two and three. But yeah, I like I said, I wanted to do Millie's performance justice. So I watched it as much as I possibly could, you know? Yeah.

[00:03:03] Yeah. So, uh, 11, you know, she's got such a unique way of speaking for you. Like, what was the biggest challenge to try to capture, you know, like her voice and like the emotional tone throughout this season? Oh, that's, that's a good question. I mean, like I said, I watched the show so much so I could nail that specific part of her pacing and her tone because she's, she's learning how to talk.

[00:03:26] I mean, she's learning who she is as a person. She's, she's constantly taking everything in and developing her taste and interest. And I really wanted to portray that through my performance. So I, I personally worked very hard to get the pacing and where she would have been in this series right. And I also feel like Eric, our showrunner, helped me get to that place as well. He really helped guide me to where I needed to be throughout recording.

[00:03:53] How did you balance like honoring, you know, the version that the fans already know while you're trying to make this your own character too? Oh my goodness. That is also a great question. You know, like I said, I watched the show so much and I'm a big fan of the show and 11 and Millie. So that was very important to me.

[00:04:11] But as far as putting my own spin on it, like I said, before I even knew this was Stranger Things and 11, I instantly fell in love with the character and I felt like I personally related to her in so many ways. You know, 11, she views the world with such excitement and awe and she has a big heart and she sees the good in everyone, even when they've done her wrong. And I feel like I was able to bring myself in that way, you know, that kind of sensitivity and emotional vulnerability.

[00:04:40] So yeah, that's how I feel like I was able to bring my own spin because I just personally related to her in a lot of ways and I really lean into that. For you, like what excites you the most about telling, you know, a Stranger Things story, but now it's animation. Oh my goodness. Well, with animation, you can do so much more with all the monsters and the action and the fights and all of that. But personally, one of the things I'm most excited for is all of the kids that are now being introduced to Stranger Things through the series.

[00:05:09] You know, they might not necessarily be able to watch the live action. So now this is an opportunity for them to see that show. And I've seen so many little kids just so excited seeing that pure, unadulterated joy. It means so much to me. So when you were recording this, you know, like, you know, the animated version of Eleven, did you feel like you had more freedom to explore, like with like different emotional beats and reactions because you're recording it?

[00:05:35] Oh, yeah. I mean, because, you know, sometimes we'll, you know, record entire scenes, but a lot of the times we'll record line by line. And I get to do three takes of each of those lines so I can try such a range of different things. And then our showrunner, Eric, he will kind of guide me to where, you know, he can picture the final product in his head and he'll guide me to that place. He'll be like, OK, so this is how it's going to look. Actually, I have a really fun anecdote about that.

[00:06:02] Um, so I don't know if you you've seen it, but there's a part where Eleven is racing down a snowy hill and Eric, a lot of the times he would demonstrate. He would stand up and physically demonstrate how it's going to look in the final product. So in that scene, he's like he was pretending to sled and he would be like, oh, jump here. Oh, there's a big drop here. You're bumping into something here. So it was always so much fun. I genuinely had a blast.

[00:06:31] So how would you so then how would you describe Eleven's journey this season compared to, you know, like where we saw her in the live action in the first two seasons? OK, well, I feel like she's really stepping into her independence in this series. You know, we talked a lot about how she's learning who she is and what she wants. But not only that, she's learning how to speak up for herself and communicate what she wants and be firm in that. But also do it in a kind way.

[00:07:00] I think a really great example of that is Mike and Elle's fight in the cabin. You know, at the end, they end up making up and she's like, well, next time I'll tell you, you know, instead of just getting frustrated. She's learning how to communicate. And I think that's really beautiful to see. She's just stepping into who she is and where we pick up on in season three of the live action. Is there a specific moment or scene for you that really stood out while you were recording this, too?

[00:07:27] That made you think more about this character and what she's been through? Oh, my gosh. So I would say, I don't know if you remember this, but down in the sewer, there's this conversation that Nikki and Eleven have about birthdays. And how Eleven, she didn't even know when her birthday was until a few months ago. She's never had a birthday party. And at the end of that episode as well, she gets to have her first little birthday party. Nikki, it's her birthday that day.

[00:07:56] So she shares that moment with Eleven. And I thought that was so special. Throughout this series, we get to see some of those little moments where Eleven just gets to be a kid. She gets to be a normal kid. Those are all so special to me because we don't get to see those a lot. But, yeah, it really made me think about her and everything she's been through. I have such a deep emotional attachment to her.

[00:08:19] So it really, honestly, every time I get into the booth to record, it makes me cry. It makes me want to cry. And I feel the tears come into my eyes because she has been through so much. And I don't know. I just, I love her. Sorry, got off on a tangent there. No, it's okay. But one of the biggest things, too, like in this series, too, like, you know, we see her and, you know, she's navigating, you know, trusting people, friendship also at the same time. Yes. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.

[00:08:47] I love that we get to see all of these little parts of her that we might not necessarily have gotten a scene, see as much of in the live action. You know, it's kind of like an expansion of that. And I really appreciate that as well with all of the characters. We get to see these little parts that, you know, might not have been gotten to explore. We didn't get to explore as much in the live action series. If we see more down the road of this, too, what would you like to see, you think?

[00:09:18] Oh, I don't know. Okay. So I think Eric is so great at creating all of these monsters. That's his niche. He's so cool. Oh, I love him so much. But I would love to see more epic monsters, any new creatures that we could fight. I think that would be so cool to see what he comes up with.

[00:09:43] And, you know, one of my favorite parts, too, is getting to fight and use my powers and all the screaming I get to do. So as much of that as I would get to do, I would personally love that. You know, Stranger Things, but it's got a huge fan base. We talked about this earlier, too. Like, for you, like, what does it mean that you're part of this universe? Your name will always be there, too. How does that make you feel as an actor? It means so much to me.

[00:10:10] As a huge fan myself, I know how much this series and these characters mean to people. So I can't even put it into words. It's unbelievable. Eleven's been my favorite character for so long. And if you had told me that I would be getting to be voicing an animated version of her, it blows my mind. Absolutely. I just love getting to share the joy of this show and these characters with people.

[00:10:36] That's honestly the most special part about all of this to me. What's been the fan reaction with, like, you know, your family, friends, even, like, huge Stranger Things fans, too? Oh, I've been getting so many positive reactions. People love it so much. They also love how much Eleven gets to use her powers in this one. And I've been seeing a lot of edits of people of Eleven using her powers. And I'm like, yes!

[00:11:03] She really gets to be so cool in this series. And I just love it so much. She gets to release all of her inner rage. But, yeah, it's been a great reception. And, honestly, so much work has gone into this series with the cast and the creative team. So it really, I believe, it really does deserve all of the love it's getting, you know. I was working on it for three years. I don't know how long they were working on it past that.

[00:11:32] So this has been in development for a very long time. So much hard work and love has been put into it all around. And the fan reception so far has definitely been amazing. What's one of the things that you loved about the 80s after being in something like this? Oh, my gosh. Well, like I said, I was a huge fan of Stranger Things before. And it actually inspired me to get into the 80s. So my room was all decked out in 80s stuff, not just Stranger Things memorabilia.

[00:12:00] But I love collecting vintage toys. I actually, I used to have an Instagram page when I was younger. It was all about collecting 80s toys. And in the bio, it said, inspired by. And then I tagged Stranger Things TV. So it's a very full circle moment. But one of the main things I love about the 80s is, oh, my gosh, just everything. It's so amazing. Like I said, I love collecting the toys. But the music, too, as well.

[00:12:28] I am a huge, huge fan of 80s music. I have all of the vinyls from the original Stranger Things. Because, you know, Stranger Things has such amazing soundtracks. And that's something they've also carried to this show. There are so many cool needle drops. And I'm just obsessed. It's amazing. It's awesome. What's that? You know, you mentioned that, you know, you're a huge fan. You love Eleven. But is there something new that you learned about Eleven that you kind of didn't see when you were watching the series?

[00:12:57] That is a great question. Like I said, I feel like I was able to really lean into her sweet moments. Like she's, you know, she's just she's a little girl. You know, she wants to have fun with her friends. There's a part where she tries chili cheese fries for the first time. So I really enjoyed seeing all of those parts and just being like, oh, here's Eleven. And she gets to live a normal life, even just for a little bit.

[00:13:27] She gets to have these moments that she never got to have before. And it means so much to her because of the life that she has lived beforehand. So it's that's one of my favorite parts of the series. And I've seen other people enjoying that as well. Just seeing Eleven being happy with her friends. That means if you could animate it yourself and be part of that group, you would want to? If I could be a part of the group? Yeah. Absolutely. Oh, my gosh.

[00:13:56] What an amazing group of kids. It's something else that I love about Stranger Things is that all of the kids in the group, they are so different and unique. And Eleven has felt different her whole life. But Stranger Things is about even though you may feel different, you can find those people that really love you for who you are. And you can thrive with them and face everything together. It's great. Awesome. Brooklyn, I want to thank you for giving a few minutes today.

[00:14:22] Like I told Braxton earlier today, I hope we see maybe another season or two down the road, too. I would love that so much. Here's hoping. Here's hoping. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.