When the first season of Stranger Things [1] premiered, it didn't take long for one character in particular to become the sci-fi hit's unofficial mascot: Eleven. Her shaved head, pink dress, and beloved box of Eggos were everywhere come Halloween [2], launching young actress Millie Bobby Brown to instant fame. A new report suggests that Brown's immensely talented performance as the fan-favourite telepath [3] has just paid off — literally.
Back in March, it was announced that the entire cast of the Netflix hit were getting massive raises [4], especially the younger actors. Brown and costars Finn Wolfhard [5], Gaten Matarazzo, Noah Schnapp, and Caleb McLaughlin reportedly all received the most dramatic salary increases compared to adult cast members Winona Ryder [6] and David Harbour due to the fact they joined the show as virtual unknowns. While they started with an estimated $25-$30,000 per episode for the first two seasons, their new fee is rumoured to be somewhere between $200,000 and $250,000 per episode. Brown, however, might be making even more, according to TMZ [7].
If the report is true, the Enola Holmes star [9] could be getting paid as much as $350,000 per episode, which is around what Ryder and Harbour are both making. That means Brown will bank almost $3 million for season three [10], which is now in production and will consist of eight episodes [11]. Given Hollywood's deeply unfortunate history of paying women less than their male costars [12], this is a refreshing turn of events.
Now all we need to do is figure out how to take down Demogorgons and smoke monsters ourselves — apparently it's pretty lucrative!