Millie Bobby Brown, 13, became an overnight celebrity after viewers of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” fell in love with her character, Eleven, and by extension, Brown herself. And despite her family finally moving out to Los Angeles thanks to her newfound success, they’ve had troubles in the past, once finding themselves at the brink of bankruptcy.
British actress Brown has achieved massive success and recognition as Eleven, despite having just 246 words of dialogue spoken in the first season of “Stranger Things,” which despite being a mass-appeal genre show, managed to beat the somewhat classier/more awards-bait Netflix original “The Crown” to the Best Ensemble in a Drama Series award at the Screen Actors Guild.
Originally seen as a comeback vehicle for ‘90s sensation Winona Ryder, “Stranger Things” was quickly taken over by Brown, who proved her mettle virtually within five minutes of first appearing in the show.
She quit Hollywood over a year ago
Eighteen months ago, Brown gave up her Hollywood dreams and instead moved back to Bournemouth. She was always a star. At the age of five, she was a “lovely, bright, bubbly” girl (according to her teacher) performing in the school nativity play and talent show. According to her teacher, she was a natural talent who was “happy to stand up on a stage singing in front of 450 people” with a “natural confidence.”
Brown’s tutor Ms. Hill says, “Fame hasn’t changed her,” and that she remains “very grounded.” This may be due to the problems she had with her family when she was first starting out.
During the filming of “Stranger Things,” she encountered problems with her overprotective father, not fitting in with the rest of the actors because she was the only girl in the cast, and also the obstacles and sacrifices her family had to make in order for her to achieve her acting dreams.
Paige, 23, and Charley, 18, Brown’s two older siblings, have finally made the move to Los Angeles for Millie’s career, having spent their lives in different places all over the world.
It’s worth it. Virtually overnight, Brown went from being a total unknown to a huge star with over a million Instagram followers and fans worldwide lining up for the chance to meet her. The LA move almost bankrupted the family, and they went out on a limb in a blind faith of Brown’s talent and chances of success. It paid off, given how it turned out, but still, she could’ve easily been one of the hundreds of other girls who auditioned for the part of Eleven and ended up being just another headshot on a pile in Shawn Levy’s office.
Those families are presumably homeless now.
Millie’s career is now thriving
Brown’s career is doing tremendously, with season two of “Stranger Things” on its way this Halloween and Calvin Klein ads abound. She’s being called the new Emma Watson, whose latest Film “Beauty and the Beast” is out next month. She’s being paid £1 million for her first feature film role in “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” while experts say she’ll soon be able to charge £3 million, so any producers who want to work with her had better move quick. Brown even met Barack Obama, a big “Stranger Things” fan, at the White House when he was President (oh, those were the days).
Unfortunately, Brown’s dad is taking advantage of her fame, as do all parents of child stars.
Having faced financial troubles in the past, losing his job when Millie was four and having to move from Spain to Bournemouth, he is controversially monopolising on her success, commanding an upfront $100,000 fee for himself to be paid personally for any agent wanting to represent his daughter.
