Millie Bobby Brown Says ‘Stranger Things’ Creators Should ‘Start Killing People Off’

Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown wants to see the show take a turn for the darker. The 18-year-old actress plays Eleven, the superpowered hero of the Netflix original series, and she has practically grown up in the spotlight. Now, she jokes that it’s getting a little crowded on set.

Brown and her co-star Noah Schnapp sat down for a video interview with The Wrap in May, where Brown joked that Stranger Things needs to cull its cast. She said: “They need to kill off some people… [The cast is] way too big. Last night we couldn’t even take one group picture, there were like 50 of us. I was like, ‘You need to start killing people off.’” Brown later added that the only reason this won’t happen is because the series creators “are two Sensitive Sallies that don’t want to kill anyone off.”

Brown gave a stronger hint of the direction she wants to go in by saying: “We need to have the mindset of Game of Thrones.” In the video, most seemed to believe she was joking but her comments got an earnest response from series co-creator Matt Duffer. The video has resurfaced this week because Duffer answered to this idea in a new interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

“Believe us, we’ve explored all options in the writing room,” he said, before adding: “We aren’t Game of Thrones. This is Hawkins, it’s not Westeros.”

Duffer said that he doesn’t believe shock factor deaths would suit Stranger Things in the way that they suited Game of Thrones and other shows. He said: “When Barb dies [in Season 1], it’s two seasons’ worth of grappling with that. Every death has an impact. As we’re moving into the final season, more of that is on the table. There is logic behind it, and has nothing to do with my sensitivity.”

Outside of Stranger Things itself, many fans were amused by Brown’s comment because it led them to imagine what is next for the actress. After rising to global stardom on this show, she has now starred in the last two Godzilla movies as well as a Netflix original film adaptation of Enola Holmes. If Brown is interested in something more grimdark, fans have plenty of ideas about roles she could play in the future.

In the meantime, regardless of its body count, Stranger Things is nearly at an end. Netflix just dropped Season 4, Part 2, leaving only its fifth and final season to air. Stranger Things Season 5 has been ordered, but there’s no word yet on when it will go into production or when it might air. You can stream the first four seasons now on Netflix.