Stranger Things Star Reveals Her Surprising Movie Picks
The Netflix actress opens up about her cinematic preferences, showcasing unexpected depth in her film choices that might change how critics view her artistic sensibilities.
Critics have long questioned whether the Stranger Things actress possesses genuine appreciation for cinema as an art form. Her resume reads like a Netflix algorithm gone wrong. The Electric State bombed so spectacularly that even legendary performers couldn't have salvaged it. Add Damsel, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Enola Holmes to the mix, and you get a pattern that suggests artistic merit isn't driving her career choices.
With Stranger Things wrapped, she faces a crossroads. The grueling TV production schedule may have limited her options as a young performer. Now she has leverage. Real star power. The question becomes whether she'll use this freedom to pivot toward more substantial work or continue down the same commercial path.
Animation and Adult Drama
Her Letterboxd favorites tell a different story than her filmography suggests. She picked Up first, one of Pixar's most emotionally sophisticated works. The film earned a rare Best Picture nomination for animation, breaking through industry bias against the medium. Smart choice.
Marriage Story made her list too. Noah Baumbach's divorce drama represents exactly the kind of adult storytelling Hollywood rarely funds anymore. Sure, it was a Netflix production, but it received theatrical treatment for awards consideration. The film demands emotional intelligence from viewers. Not typical blockbuster fare.
Controversial Prequel Love
Then comes the eyebrow-raiser: Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. George Lucas's prequel trilogy got savaged by critics initially. But audiences who grew up with those films have rehabilitated their reputation. Episode III works best of the three, thanks to Hayden Christensen's transformation into Vader and Ewan McGregor's powerhouse performance as Obi-Wan.
Her final pick proves most intriguing. Gia, the 1998 HBO film starring Angelina Jolie. Television movies get dismissed unfairly, but this one matched HBO's premium standards. Jolie used the role to prove her acting credentials beyond tabloid celebrity status. Maybe that's the blueprint she's following.
The complete list: Up (2009), Marriage Story (2019), Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005), and Gia (1998). Not bad for someone supposedly lacking film knowledge.