Stranger Things’ Matthew Modine Recalls Meeting 11-Year-Old Millie Bobby Brown: ‘Wow, This Little Girl’s Got It’

Matthew Modine shared that he’ll never forget the first time he met Stranger Things costar Millie Bobby Brown.

Modine spoke to PEOPLE while attending the opening night of Stranger Things: The First Shadow on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre on Tuesday, April 22. During the conversation, the actor opened up about his first encounter with Brown while filming the first season of the Netflix series.

“The first day that I met Millie … she was 11 years old,” Modine, 66, calls of the 2015 moment. “And she was sitting in the little cell [for her character], and everyone was so excited about her, and they were so excited to introduce me to work with her. And she was just so magical and professional and mature and a child, it was … you know, you know that thing they always say, ‘She’s got it’?”

“When she was 11 years old, I went, ‘Wow, this little girl’s got it,’ he adds.

Brown, now 21, plays the fan-favorite Eleven on the series, while Modine played Dr. Martin Brenner, her enigmatic surrogate father figure, in seasons one and four.

Modine delved deeper into his dynamic with Brown while speaking at the Stranger Things Epic Cons panel in October.

“It begins and ends with Millie,” he told the audience of his best on-set memories. “I met her when she was 11 years old on the set. I fell in love with that innocent 11-year-old child.”

He went on to share that Brown is “so focused, so determined, so intelligent,” adding, “It is a friendship I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”

And their bond extends beyond the set. Modine also served as the officiant at Brown’s wedding to Jake Bongiovi in May 2024. A photo of the ceremony was shared by Bongiovi, 22, on his Instagram account in October.

“Amazing. Who’s the old guy with a beard?? 🤪❤️🍀,” Modine later joked in the comments section of the post.

During the red carpet conversation with PEOPLE, Modine shared his thoughts on the new stage show, which takes place in 1959 and serves as a prequel to the television series.

“From everything that I’ve been told, it’s bigger, more frightening [than the show], and a lot of jump scares in the play, so I’m looking forward to seeing it,” he says.

And while The First Shadow features a younger version of his Stranger Things character, Modine revealed that Alex Breaux, the actor who plays Dr. Brenner in the play, did not reach out to him for tips or guidance.

“Because he’s before me,” Modine said, referring to the character’s timeline. “Asking me how to play me in the future — that would be like predicting the future — so he had to learn how to be himself in the moment.”

Stranger Things: The First Shadow was written by Kate Trefry and is directed by Stephen Daldry, with Justin Martin serving as co-director. You can purchase tickets here.

The fifth and final season of Stranger Things on Netflix is set to premiere this year.