Before Stranger Things and Enola Holmes, Millie Bobby Brown Was Almost Kicked off from Industry for Being “Too Mature”
Just like it is hard to imagine anyone who is not Emma Mackey playing the role of Maeve Wiley in Sex Education, it is impossible to picture anyone else playing the role of Eleven in Stranger Things apart from Millie Bobby Brown. Now, Stranger Things might not be the only role that Brown is famous for, there was once a chance that she would have not been cast as Eleven.
Actors are often typecasted in Hollywood for one reason or another. However, the reason for which Millie Bobby Brown was almost kicked out of Hollywood was rather shocking. It almost put her entire career at risk. However, she refused to back down and became one of the best actresses in Hollywood.
Millie Bobby Brown Almost Did Not Get Her Big Break
Millie Bobby Brown started acting at the age of 13 as she appeared in the ABC fantasy drama series Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. She went on to star in Once Upon a Time in Wonderland and Intruders. Before she landed her role in Stranger Things, she went on to guest star in the medical drama Grey’s Anatomy and the family sitcom Modern Family.
In an interview with Allure, the Enola Holmes actress revealed how she was labeled as “too mature” by a well-known casting director. She said:
“I always knew that I was mature and I couldn’t really help that. Going back to what I said earlier about being kind of very lonely in who I was and feeling like no one was quite like me in school and no one was as mature as I was, [hearing that] was really hard because I thought [maturity] was a good thing. And then being told that it wasn’t, that I wouldn’t make it in this industry, it was so hurtful.”
Millie Bobby Brown went on to say that this comment made her lose her will to act. It was after her parents’ persuasion that she made the audition tape for Stranger Things.
Millie Bobby Brown’s Reasoning for Choosing Acting
Millie Bobby Brown gained worldwide recognition for her portrayal of Eleven in Stranger Things. In the following years, she played more acclaimed roles such as Enola Holmes in the eponymous adventure Netflix film. She made her feature film debut in 2019’s Godzilla: The King of Monsters, and even starred in the 2021 sequel Godzilla vs. Kong.
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In the interview with Allure, the actress revealed her reason for choosing acting, saying:
“I enjoyed being different people because I always struggled with self-identity and knowing who I was. Even as a young person, I always felt like I didn’t quite belong in every room I was in. I also struggle with loneliness a bit. I always felt quite alone in a crowded room, like I was just one of a kind like nobody ever really understood me.”
Brown wanted to play characters that people could relate to and understand. This urge came from her feeling like no one could relate to her. Perhaps, that has changed now that she is engaged to Jake Bongiovi.
