Before she became a household name as Eleven in Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown nearly stepped into the Marvel universe alongside Hugh Jackman. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly to promote Enola Holmes 3, the 22-year-old actress revealed she auditioned for the role of X-23 in the 2017 film Logan.
“I screen tested with Hugh Jackman when I was like 11 or 12,” Brown said during the Lie vs. Lie segment. “I feel like I probably didn’t get it, because I think there was someone else that was better.” That someone else was Dafne Keen, who ultimately landed the part and delivered a breakout performance as Laura, the young mutant clone of Wolverine.
A Near Miss with the Wolverine
Brown’s screen test with Jackman would have been a major early-career milestone, but she took the loss in stride. Keen’s portrayal of X-23 earned critical acclaim, and she later reprised the role in Deadpool & Wolverine two years ago. While Brown didn’t get the part, her career skyrocketed shortly after with Stranger Things, which premiered in 2016.
Now that Stranger Things has concluded, fans are eager to see what’s next for the young star. She’s set to reunite with David Harbour for a new Netflix spy thriller from the writer of Adolescence, and she has several other projects in the pipeline. Brown also continues to expand her work on the streamer with the Enola Holmes franchise, where she stars opposite Henry Cavill.
Dafne Keen’s Marvel and Star Wars Journey
Keen, who beat Brown for the role, has since become a familiar face in both the Marvel and Star Wars universes. After Logan, she joined the Star Wars galaxy in The Acolyte, the Disney+ series that was canceled after one season. While her character Jecki Lon is unlikely to return, fans still speculate about her future as X-23 in upcoming Marvel projects like Avengers: Doomsday.
Most of the Deadpool & Wolverine cast, aside from Channing Tatum, have not been confirmed for Doomsday, but given the film’s popularity, it would be surprising if they weren’t utilized in some way. For now, Logan is streaming exclusively on Disney+.
Brown’s near-miss with the X-Men franchise is a fascinating what-if, but her trajectory since then proves she didn’t need the role to become a star. As she looks ahead to new projects, fans can only imagine what could have been—and what’s still to come.
