Search icon

Entertainment

09th Jun 2022

Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown didn’t actually shave her head for season four

Simon Bland

MBB

The show is full of mysteries…

Warning: Very minor spoilers ahead

The long awaited fourth series of Stranger Things finally dropped on Netflix last week and the internet is already alight with loads of questions about the fate of Hawkins’ finest and their ongoing battle against the Upside Down.

However while viewers picked apart various clues, hints and nods to 80s nostalgia classics (we’re looking at you Kate Bush), audiences were also left scratching their heads about one big quandary in particular: did Millie Bobby Brown really re-shave her head for the show’s return?

While the first part of this new slew of episodes introduced us to a batch of new characters – alongside a devilishly dark tone reminiscent of the finest 80s horrors – fans wasted no time in wondering whether series star Brown, who plays telekinetic teen Eleven, had to lose her hair in order to shoot key flashback sequences.

Well, thanks to Instagram we now have our answer.

Taking to her social media account, the show’s long-time stylist Sarah Hindsgaul explained that Brown didn’t in fact have to shave her head – instead, her shorn do was all a product of some innovative make up work.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Sarah Hindsgaul (@sarahhindsgaul)

“A lot of people have asked me for the #eleven Wig application video in color and for some more details explaining the process,” explained Hindsgaul in a caption accompanying a timelapse video of Brown in the make up chair.

“The most important is a tight wrap of her own hair so her head shape is as natural as possible with no bulk. For that we wetted her hair down and slicked it with a gel tight to her head placing her hair in a flattering manner.

“Afterwards her head would be wrapped tightly in an elastic material and we would put her under the heat to dry for 15 min,” she added.

“The second challenge was to make sure it was transparent so we can see her scalp through the hair.”

An additional video goes into some extra detail about Hindsgaul’s process in making what has been described as “the most realistic looking wig I have frankly ever seen in television” by writer Kirbie Johnson.

“Sarah told me she studied Eleven’s hairline from season one and she did various iterations of this particular wig,” explained Johnson, before going into in-depth detail about how the stylist pulled off the remarkable look.

Turns out, she wasn’t the only one eager to know how this magic was made either, adding that Brown’s wig-or-not mystery “was one of the top google searches on May 27 when the series premiered”.

So that’s one question answered. As for all the other mysteries lurking in the Upside Down? We’ll have to wait until early July for answers – as that’s reportedly when volume two of series four finally hits Netflix.

Related links: