They might be born in 2002 and 2004, but Maddie Ziegler and Millie Bobby Brown are already two of the greatest cultural commentators of our time. Ignoring the fact that at least one of them has not even started high school yet, maybe this shouldn’t come as two much as a surprise. Zieglier has been interpreting the poignant messages of Sia via dance since the age of 11, while Brown has sparked countless conversations about gender and sexuality with her portrayal of Stranger Things‘s androgynous pre-teen heroine Eleven. Turns out, the two are best friends, and their conversations are just as great as you might predict. In a conversation for Interview, the two tiny legends veered into a discussion of, naturally, the gender-fluid cosplay inspired by their respective creative endeavors.
Brown, much to the relief of the thousands of people who have already purchased a pink Peter Pan-collar dress to wear for Halloween, claims that she’s cool with being a costume. “At Comic-Con, people dress up as [Eleven],” she says. “It’s very rewarding in a way, and as strange as Stranger Things. People are embracing her character and trying to portray her. I think it’s nice to see what different people think of her character. I’m cool with people dressing up as Eleven for Halloween. I definitely want to open my door and give them candy.” Ziegler thinks it’s especially cool “because it’s not just girls dressing up as Eleven.” At which Brown invokes the viral video of the dude who recreated “Chandelier” after losing a fantasy football bet. “It’s kind of like the same with you, though,” she says. “I mean, the older guy dressed up as Sia and did the ‘Chandelier’ dance. Like, it’s crazy how they just want to portray your character, even if they’re a different sex. It’s incredible.”
The other welcome information to come from their conversation is that they’re currently recruiting for their recently formed squad. Brown has her sights set on 12-year-old singer/ukuleleist Grace VanderWaal, who recently liked one of her tweets. Though she’s also quite the fan of David Schwimmer and John Travolta, so clearly being under 15 isn’t a requirement.
Credits
Text Hannah Ongley
Still from Stranger Things, courtesy of Netflix