Millie Bobby Brown still ‘respects’ co-star Henry Cavill’s boundaries in their relationship

Millie Bobby Brown and Louis Partridge are back and poised to dominate Netflix ratings once again when Enola Holmes 3, the newest sequel in the streamer’s enduringly popular film franchise, drops later this week.

One of the most powerful figures in Hollywood – let alone as a younger woman – Millie is an actively involved producer on the franchise too, a partnership with studio Legendary that came into play just before the reported first-look deal she signed with Netflix, aged only 16, in December 2020.

For the now 22-year-old, the attraction to Enola was simple.

‘I felt like there just weren’t enough heroes that were females on screen. And I just feel like we need to bring more of that, and so why not do that at my home studio with Netflix?’ she tells Metro in an interview with her Enola Holmes co-star, Louis.

She describes the importance of films, based on Nancy Springer’s book series, and bringing them under the Netflix banner as well as ‘like a homecoming’.

‘I was doing it for my little sister, I was doing it for myself, and in many ways now I feel like I’m doing it for my daughter.’

Millie adopted a daughter with her husband Jake Bongiovi (also now a producer on Enola Holmes 3) in the summer of 2025.

The films have always celebrated the intelligence and capability of their 19th-century heroine, but in the third instalment we see Enola engaged to Lord Tewkesbury (Louis) and worrying about losing her identity and the Holmes name she’s worked so hard to feel worthy of, trying to match her famous brother Sherlock (Henry Cavill). There’s also an impressive fistfight and some daring carriage roof stunts for the young detective.

I think in a lot of ways Enola gave me training for Eleven

When I remark that it feels like we’re seeing a bit of the Eleven physicality in there from Stranger Things – the Netflix show that made Millie a household name a decade ago before finishing at the end of 2025 – she counters: ‘I think in a lot of ways Enola gave me training for Eleven.’

‘That’s what I like to think. Stranger Things stands sort of very much on the shoulders of what we’ve done here,’ interjects Louis, much to his co-star’s amusement.

The pair have a very relaxed and playful relationship, like siblings, wearing their success lightly. This is all the more impressive considering they have both so successfully negotiated the transition from child stardom to acting careers as adults.

Louis, 23, appeared in small roles in 2015’s Pan, Paddington 2 and TV series Medici before Enola Holmes gave him his breakout in 2020. Since then, he’s played Sid Vicious in the 2022 miniseries Pistol and last year took a leading role in Netflix’s historical drama House of Guinness, penned by new James Bond scribe Steven Knight. It has recently been renewed for a second season.

It’s a lot of pressure to protect themselves from, certainly in the age of social media. While Millie protests that ‘everyone knows how I do it’, Louis is still keen to praise her for taking a stance against the negative attention that she, depressingly inevitably as a young woman in the public eye, has received in the past.

It was hard having public friendships, public relationships, growing up, making mistakes

‘You literally posted a video a year ago, being like, “This is messed up, this is not how you treat people, be better,” which is not something I’ve seen anybody else do. Respect,’ he tells her.

‘I think most people would read it and they would feel bad about it, and keep reading stuff and keep engaging in it, but it takes something to stand up for yourself and for other people, like you do.’

It leads to a rare serious moment in our interview, with Millie quietly thanking him.

She’s also curious as to their differing experiences juggling acting as youngsters, asking Louis if he felt that because he continued to go to school ‘there was like a level of normalcy in your life’.

He’s hesitant at first. ‘I think so, yeah, I think that helped. But then you get out of school, and you’ve still got to do some growing up, on the other side.’

For Millie, she struggled with how open her life became as a young teenager.

‘It was hard having public friendships, public relationships, growing up, making mistakes – but then being a role model to people that are your age. So, you can’t make the mistakes because people are looking up to you and they’re relying on you and you feel almost responsible for other people’s decisions. And yet you’re not, you’re 14, and you’re trying to navigate it yourself.

‘It was a difficult thing to navigate, but I have an amazing family, and the best parents, and I couldn’t have done it without them.’

Millie is still committed to playing a role though that many young girls will be delighted to see, taking centre stage again as Enola Holmes 3 addresses more complex themes, like colonialism, with a careful hand, while also tackling the criticism that many women can hear about being ‘too emotional’.

This time, the production moved to Malta, giving both actors their first experience of shooting in the sea, as well as all living in a hotel together during filming, seeing each other every morning for breakfast.

Louis took every advantage of the buffet set-up (‘I make three trips, minimum.’).

For Enola Holmes 3, Adolescence director Philip Barantini is newly at the helm; he laughs over the idea that he was ready for a cleanse from more hard-hitting topics by moving into family-friendly adventure territory.

‘The short answer is yes,’ he tells Metro. ‘But also I’ve got a nine-year-old daughter, and I wanted to make something that she could watch.’

Louis and Millie are full of praise for their new director, whose Netflix show – created by Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne, the latter of whom also writes the Enola films – appeared to spend an entire year sweeping up every award going.

Philip Barantini wanted to make it a lot darker than it was before

‘He was very open and respected the fact that we’d done two films. And as much as he was bringing his feel and vibe and cinematography and everything to it, it was a real collaboration,’ recalls Louis. ‘And I love that, because I feel that I know my guy, and I know you know your girl, and I enjoyed feeling like I had a bit of agency. Not that I wasn’t taking notes, [I’m] always taking notes, but suggesting [things].’

‘I loved his ideas,’ adds Millie. ‘He wanted to make it a lot darker than it was before, so you do find elements of, wow, it doesn’t feel like the same franchise sometimes, but then it pulls you right back in and you’re like, oh yeah, of course it is. And I think the maturity in our relationship amps up a bit in this film.’

Both Henry as Sherlock and Helena Bonham Carter as the loose cannon Holmes matriarch, Eudoria, return for the third film, with Sherlock’s kidnapping kicking off Enola’s latest investigation.

‘Helena is just like a book of knowledge, and I talk to her too much about absolutely everything,’ says Millie, calling the British Oscar nominee a ‘mother figure’.

‘Her and I are awfully similar, in many ways.’

In 2022 while promoting the Enola sequel, Millie revealed that co-star Henry had ‘terms and conditions with me’ when it came to their relationship, setting strict boundaries – like talking about his personal life – which she appreciated.

I wonder if it’s any different now Millie is older and a parent herself?

‘No!’ she laughs. ‘No, the funny thing with Henry and I is we’re like brother and sister, so like my big brother, he’s like, “Millie, no, I’m not doing that,” and it’s just like, you go, “Okay”. You’ve just kind of got to respect it because you’re like, I’m not going to argue, you know?

‘You’re just like my brother, I love you, and then I’m also like, “No, I’m not doing that!”. I’m very much like that with Henry, but it kind of replicates my actual relationship with my brother, Charlie.’

She had previously described her Stranger Things co-stars as like siblings, but specifically because there were ‘no boundaries’.

Speaking of boundaries, I have to risk a cheeky question to Louis about all the James Bond rumours that have been flying around since Variety reported in April that he was in contention for the role – especially because co-star Henry was a long-term fancast favourite as 007.

Louis says they didn’t ever discuss it together but that Henry ‘would be a fantastic James Bond’.

And just when I think that’s how he’s going to dodge answering about his own involvement, he adds: ‘I don’t know what direction they want to take with it, but I think James Bond is awesome and I think every man wants to play James Bond. And if they say they don’t, they’re lying! But we shall see, on that front.’

But co-star Millie is firmly in his corner for the role.

‘I could play James Bond!’ she quips, before quickly saying: ‘No, vote for Louis. I’ll say it here. I work with him, he’s the best, and he’s my James Bond.’

Enola Holmes 3 streams exclusively on Netflix from Wednesday, July 1.