Millie Bobby Browns Harsh Reminder From "Stranger Things" What Pushes You Forward Can Hold You Back

At only 19 years old, Millie Bobby Brown, has been in the entertainment business for nearly a decade. At just 11 years old, the Enola Holmes actress landed the career-defining role of "Eleven" on the hit Netflix Original show, Stranger Things.

The cult Sci-Fi/Horror series hosted a slew of baby-faced actors, that over the course of 7 years grew up on the show–voice cracks and all–but no onequite broke out like, Millie Bobby Brown.

Going into their 5th and final season (and their 8th year of filming), the cast of Stranger Things may not be ready to say goodbye, but with her successful skincare line Florence by Mills and her production company PCMA, Millie Bobby Brown, definitely is.

Growing Up on Stranger Things: A Time and Place

Right out the gate, audiences were captivated with Millie Bobby Brown's career-defining performance as science-experiment-turned-telekentic-heroine, "Eleven"!

When Stranger Things premiered in 2016, fans and critics alike raved about the young Brown's serious acting chops. A video of a petit Millie Bobby Brown in the hair and makeup chair, even went viral! The 11 year old actress was applauded for her commitment to the role, when she posted a video of shaving her head for the full Stranger Things transformation.

Over the course of 5 long seasons, Millie Bobby Brown has seen a lot of "firsts" against the backdrop of Hawkins, Indiana (the fictitious town in which Stranger Things is set).

On set, Brown had her first real kiss with co-star Finn Wolfhard, 20. The show also gave Brown the right material to score her first Emmy nomination in 2016 (and then her second again, in 2017).

Now at 19 years old, Millie Bobby Brown is ready to step out into the real world on her own, and experience a whole new set of firsts. One of which includes her first walk...down the aisle!?

Millie Bobby Brown's Engagement Announcement Caused Waves, Why She's Choosing To Stay Silent/Ignore The Haters

In April, 2023 Millie Bobby Brown took to instagram to break some exciting news the her 63.3 M followers. Brown posted a black and white photo of her and new-fiancee Jacob Hurley Bongiovi captioning her post: "I've loved you for three summers now, honey, I want 'em all".

However, it's no surprise that at only 19, the news of Brown's engagement was met with backlash.

Brown's controversial engagement to Jacob "Jake" Hurley Bongiovi (yes, Jon Bon Jovi's son) is a topic she chooses to sidestep these days. In an exclusive interview with GLAMOUR, Brown disclosed that she's lived her whole life under the microscope of other's opinions and that she's "closing the gate" on those who do not know her, who she did not "invite in."

Brown keeps her circle small and her, reticence, its understandable. At a young age, with a brain she refers to as "still developing," the young actress was pelted with harsh criticism–the dark side of being met with critical acclaim at the same age.

Millie Bobby Brown Was Criticized For Being "An Idiot"...In Reality? She Was Just A Kid.

Videos of Millie Bobby Brown allegedly cutting off her co-stars in late-night interviews for Stranger Things press surfaced on the internet, painting her as a kind of villainous mean girl who was "trying to steal the thunder" and needed all the attention for herself. During Stranger Things press tours, Brown recalls adults name-calling her “an idiot,” “stupid” and “a brat.”

“It’s hard to hear that at 13,” Brown reflects, “You’re like, ‘I don’t want to ever talk again. I don’t want to be the loud person…In interviews I couldn’t help but think of all the comments. So I just remembered to stay silent and speak when I was spoken to, even though I was dying to join in. I just felt it wasn’t my turn.”

Brown looks back on this criticism as misguided. To her, it was a result of being young and excited to be invited! The actress knows she's always been "loud." It's a part of her personality that for a while she hated about herself, but with the gentle guidance of loving fianceé Buongiovi, she's learning to love again.

“I was like, ‘Why do you love me?’” says Brown. “And then [Jake] listed all these things that I hated about myself. I was like, ‘You see good in those things?’ And he was like, ‘Of course I do.’

Millie Bobby Brown, GLAMOUR

From Child Actor To Businesswoman, Millie Bobby Brown Wants To "Try Everything"

Despite how tricky it can be to navigate the industry as a teenage girl, for all that flack, Millie Bobby Brown has had opportunities and isn't afraid to use them!

"I don’t need to do a whole big thing and change the world. I don’t need that. But if I can do the small things that help people—their heart, their mind, their spirit—then that’s what I’ll do".

Millie Bobby Brown, 2023

Sure, her early success gave her a leg up (a big leg up), but there are plenty of actors who weren't able to make the leap from child star to UNICEF Ambassador to businesswoman?! Brown just isn't one of them.

In 2018, at just 14, Millie Bobby Brown took the stage at the United Nations, becoming the youngest UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in history. Her mission? To ensure girls worldwide have better access to menstrual care and education. Today, Millie stands by this same mission and firmly believes that items as basic as Advil and tampons should be considered rights, not privileges.

With her wildly successful vegan skincare company, Florence By Mills, Millie Bobby Brown has proven she is more than just a kid who got a lucky break. She's a passionate young woman eager to make her mark as an entrepreneur. If Kylie Jenner can do it, so can she! Capitalize away, baby!

Learning When To Let Go Of The Past, To Invite The Present (and Future) In!

Between her business ventures, her transition into her adult acting career, and her 19 pet animals (Bobby Brown is also a hobbyist animal rescuer?!?), it's clear that the time in her life for Stranger Things may be over, and that's ok.

Brown relatably refers to her un-relatable time on the hit Netflix show like graduating from high school: “When you’re ready, you’re like, ‘All right, let’s do this. Let’s tackle this last senior year. Let’s get out of here,” Millie Bobby Brown thoughtfully remarks.

Millie Bobby Brown may not be exactly like the rest of us, but her carpe diem outlook on life reminds us a valuable lesson, that all we really have is today–and if we spend today looking back, we miss all the opportunities right in front of us.

No matter how confident you are, we all struggle with self-doubt. The future can be an anxiety-inducing, scary unknown! In fact, at the very core, "anxiety" is fear of the future. Sometimes we can turn our anxiety into excitement, sometimes all that energy can propel us forward, and it can be a great thing! What's important, is that it doesn't hold us back.

As too-loud-for-her-age and wise-beyond-her-years (don't the two always go hand in hand) Millie Bobby Brown points out, "It’s like, why wait? Let’s go for it.” There is no time like the present.

You can order Millie Bobby Brown's debut book, "Nineteen Steps: A Novel", on Amazon now.