Millie Bobby Brown Says She Auditioned for X-23 in Logan Before Dafne Keen

Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown says she once tried out for the role of X-23 in Logan—years before Dafne Keen ultimately landed the part.

Speaking in a promotional video tied to Enola Holmes 3 with Entertainment Weekly, Brown explained that she auditioned for Logan when she was “11 or 12,” placing the tryout roughly a decade ago. She also revealed that she screen-tested alongside Hugh Jackman, then described how she felt “broken” after not getting the role, even while believing someone else was a better fit. In the end, Keen was cast as Laura, who becomes known as X-23.

While Brown didn’t specifically say she was aiming for X-23 in her comments, the details point pretty clearly in that direction—especially since it’s hard to imagine many other young performers getting the chance to audition with Hugh Jackman directly. 20th Century Fox later shared Keen’s audition footage online, including a pivotal moment between her and Jackman. Brown’s account matches the broader context of that audition as well: Keen improvised her test and performed part of it in Spanish, which helped deepen X-23’s character and widened the emotional and thematic distance between Laura and Wolverine.

If Brown’s audition timing is accurate, it likely took place just before Stranger Things Season 1 hit in the summer of 2016. That opens up an interesting “what if”: if the show had already been on air at casting time—and if the filmmakers had been able to see Brown’s performance—things might have swung differently. Still, the film’s casting history suggests Keen was the right choice for the role as it played out on screen.

Keen has since returned to the character in Deadpool and Wolverine, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see her show up again in larger Marvel projects like Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars, given how packed those lineups tend to be.

(Photo by John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images)

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.