It might seem like Millie Bobby Brown has been around for a while, and that’s because she has been in the spotlight since she was twelve when she became the breakout star of Netflix’s smash show Stranger Things (and a short stint on Grey’s Anatomy where she out-acted her older peers). Despite landing a dream role on a TV show, Brown has been getting more transparent about the struggles of being a young woman growing up in the spotlight.
The actress, who turned 18 earlier this year, was on The Guilty Feminist podcast to discuss the upcoming season of the sci-fi series and addressed the downside of being a teen with millions of followers on her every move. “I deal with the same things any 18-year-old is dealing with: navigating being an adult and having relationships and friendships, and it’s all of those things,” the teen said. “Being liked and trying to fit in, it’s all a lot, and you’re trying to find yourself while doing that. The only difference is that obviously, I’m doing that in the public eye.”
Brown is no stranger to unwelcome comments about her look: when she turned 16, she pleaded with the internet to let her act like a kid without criticizing her every move. The Enola Holmes actress came under fire around the same time for her review of the Netflix series You which features a stalker-murderer who she was “obsessed” with. Social media tore her apart, without realizing that that was the whole point of the series: to show how easy it is for teenage girls to be manipulated.
On The Guilty Feminist, Brown continued that she was “overwhelmed” after turning 18. “Definitely seeing a difference between the way people act and the way the press and social media have reacted to me coming of age…It’s gross, and it’s true,” she said, “I think it’s just a very good representation of what’s going on in the world and how young girls are sexualized. And so I have been dealing with that, but also have been dealing with that for forever.”
The long-awaited season of Stranger Things will hit Netflix this summer, and many fans have noticed how different the main cast looks now in season four as opposed to season one which makes sense, as that was over 5 years ago. They are grown, but they are still kids! Let the kids be kids! They will be doing their taxes soon enough.