Millie Bobby Brown’s new Netflix film Damsel is aimed at inspiring young people to recognise the “warrior” within themselves, the actress said in an Instagram reel posted on Monday by the streaming platform.

“I’ve never done a role like this before and I was really excited to do something grittier and mature,” the 20-year-old actress said, adding that she became a part of this movie to make young people look up to her character Elodie who began her journey as a victim and evolved into a warrior.

Opening up about the challenges of not having anyone to work against, Millie said she had to put everything aside to truly transform into Elodie. “And then just to get there, to put the wig on, to get my scars, my bruises and my dirt…the exact way it was the day before…took me about two hours,” she added.

Mentioning that creating Damsel was an extremely challenging job, Millie explained how there are metaphors in the film that will help the young audience to navigate their life. “There’s a piece of Elodie in everyone and you can channel that whenever you want to,” she signed off.

“Damsel sees Brown as a dutiful, well, damsel, who agrees to marry a handsome prince — only to discover it was all a trap: The royal family recruits her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt. She’s then thrown into a cave with a fire-breathing dragon, where she has to rely solely on her wits and will to survive,” reads the official synopsis of the film by Netflix.

Penned by Dan Mazeau, Damsel is a modern take on an old story, according to a statement issued by the makers on February 1. “As a filmmaker, one of the things I always want to do is surprise the audience with a new take on a story,” said Damsel director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, adding that traditional stories need to be modernised with “new takes, more modern and real ways” in order to connect with the audience.

Also featuring Angela Bassett, Robin Wright, and Nick Robinson in key roles, Damsel is slated to premiere on Netflix on March 8.