Jamie Campbell Bower says music is central to how he approaches acting. He credits Millie Bobby Brown’s own soundtrack‑based technique for shaping the way they worked together on Stranger Things.
Using Music While Acting
Appearing on Collider Ladies Night, the Vecna actor explained that he’s always drawn to watching how other performers prepare. He especially enjoys it when their methods involve music.
Bower, who is also a musician and fronted the pop-punk group Counterfeit, noted, “I also love watching other people’s processes.”
He said, “Music for me plays a huge part in my process. And I think it plays a huge part in a lot of actors’ process. And Millie does this incredible thing where if we’re doing a scene that’s MOS, you know, without sound, she’ll play the music through a speaker. I just think that’s the coolest thing ever. I’m like I’m taking that. Like that’s a gift.”
Bower & Brown Connection
According to Bower, that shared instinct for using music to set emotional tone helped build a creative connection between himself and Brown, who played Eleven in the hit sci-fi Netflix series. The moment that truly cemented their trust came earlier, during a season‑four table read of Stranger Things.
He said, “There was a moment with Millie that happened in the read-through for season 4, where I’m sat behind her. And she turned around and looked at me, in the eyes, as I start talking as Henry Creel.”
Bower explained that the simple gesture created an immediate sense of trust. That connection carried directly into filming and shaped the intensity of their scenes throughout the season.
He said, “That trust that was built right there in that moment, that was the foundation for us being able to go into season 4 and do some like really fun stuff. And stuff that I feel very, very proud of, you know, as a performer.”
Bower’s portrayal of Vecna became one of the defining elements of Stranger Things season four, with his scenes opposite Brown forming the emotional core of the storyline.