The Complete Evolution Of Millie Bobby Brown

It may seem like only a few years ago that you first saw Millie Bobby Brown with her shaved head and Eggo waffles while playing her breakout role as Eleven in "Stranger Things." It's almost unbelievable that it was more than five years ago. But you only have to look at the actress now to see just how much time has passed. She's gone from being a young girl primarily known for her role in the Netflix series to being an accomplished actress coming into her own and figuring out her way.

With the recent release of "Stranger Things" Season 4 and the promotions the cast has been doing, fans have had the chance to see how much the child stars have grown up. It's exciting to see just how far Brown has come in her career, following her passions and speaking up for what's important to her over the years. Continue reading to see the stunning transformation of Millie Bobby Brown.

Millie Bobby Brown was only 8 years old when she decided she wanted to be an actress. She'd had no training or real experience up to that point, but she knew it was what she wanted to do. "It was like a bug," she told Variety in 2017. "I know this sounds crazy, but once I find something I want to do, nobody's stopping me." And luckily, her family believed in her enough to let her pursue her passion. Brown had a few smaller TV roles before achieving the wild success she has today. She was first cast as young Alice in "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland." A role followed that in "Intruders" and guest star spots in "NCIS," "Modern Family," and "Grey's Anatomy" (via IMDb).

Despite not having formal training, Brown's intuitive ability impressed even the most seasoned industry professionals. According to Variety, executive producers, casting directors, and co-stars agreed they had never seen a child actor quite like her.

Despite the few TV parts she landed as a young actress, Millie Bobby Brown began to get discouraged by the industry as she struggled to get more prominent roles. During an interview on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," Brown recalled how she felt, saying, "This industry is just full of rejection, 24/7. You get far more nos — a lot of nos — before you get a yes. I was auditioning for commercials, for anything, really."

She said that she had her biggest moment of doubt after auditioning for "Game of Thrones." That particular rejection made her question everything, and she said she considered giving up acting entirely. "That's kind of when I was like, 'Oh, this is really difficult,' because I guess I really wanted that role," she said. Fortunately, she decided to stick it out and audition for one more Netflix show, "Montauk" — the original working title of "Stranger Things." About two months later, she Skyped with the creators and got the part.

Though Millie Bobby Brown felt discouraged by the entertainment industry and how many "nos" she got, everything changed after "Stranger Things" Season 1 premiered. The show was an instant sensation and made quite an impact on people. Having such a large part allowed everyone to see just how talented of an actress she was. Brown may have been only 11 years old at the time, but her ability blew away the creators. "We have yet to give her something that she's unable to do," Matt Duffer told Variety. "It's like a singer who can hit any note. Her range is just absolutely incredible. I have yet to see any limits to it."

Plenty of other people recognized that talent. After the series came out, she went from having just 25 Instagram followers to 4.2 million — a number that continues to climb. Her career had rocketed to a whole new level.

Perhaps one of the things that made Millie Bobby Brown stand out most in her "Stranger Things" performance was the way she embraced the more sinister parts of her character. Although Eleven is only a young girl in the series, she has powers that make her quite dangerous and, at times, lethal. For instance, her character has an intense stare that she uses when enacting her powers. Brown first did that stare during her audition process for the series, and it was one of the things that let the creators know she was right for the part. Executive producer Shawn Levy told Variety, "I've never forgotten it because it was so intuitive ... That this little person had such fierce power — that's what took me aback."

Brown said that she appreciates those darker sides of her character and enjoys embracing them. She told Vogue, "I think if you saw my filming in general, you would see a different Millie. I get very into character, and I become goth. I don't wear makeup for the eight months, I don't do my hair, I don't wear colors." She said she often only wore black sweaters and beanies during the shooting schedule. "I become this whole different Millie, and it is just more deep and intense, and I love it," Brown added.

After starring in "Stranger Things" and "Godzilla," Millie Bobby Brown found her next franchise with "Enola Holmes." The story followed Sherlock Holmes' little sister, Enola, as she solved her own mysteries. The actress told Deadline that she wanted to play Enola when she and her sister, Paige, read the Nancy Springer book series. "But I was 11, 12 years old, and the character was 16, so I always knew it would be more of a future ambition," Brown explained. After a few years, she approached her father about the idea, and they partnered with Legendary Entertainment. "They always appreciated my voice, they valued it, which I always loved," the actress said. "I knew this was something I could really talk about with them and feel comfortable with working with them because of my past relationship."

"Enola Holmes" was the first project the Brown sisters produced together. However, Paige had been helping Millie with behind-the-scenes work before then, so the creative partnership felt like a natural progression. The sisters told the Los Angeles Times that they worked efficiently together and didn't have many creative differences in bringing the story to life. "I was starring in the film, so I was focused very much on that," Millie said. "But I've always been into production ... so this was a great opportunity for me."

Rising to fame at such a young age has changed Millie Bobby Brown's life forever, and there are plenty of ways her world has been entirely different from anyone else her age. However, there are ways that she's been able to remain a typical teenager — and just like so many teens, she was excited to get her license as soon as possible.

Speaking to MTV News in 2021 (via YouTube), the actress discussed how passing her driver's test was a significant milestone. "Setting personal goals for myself is definitely one of my priorities," she told the interviewer. "I said, 'I want to graduate high school a year early, and I definitely want to get my driver's license as soon as possible.' For me, those are two of my biggest things." It's nice to see that despite all her success, Brown still values her education and learning essential life skills. Although her high-demand schedule made it impossible to attend public school, the actress has stayed on top of her education by homeschooling and said it was an excellent option for her (via Twitter).

Growing up as a young woman in the public eye, everything Millie Bobby Brown does is put under a microscope. During an interview with "The Guilty Feminist" (via Today), Brown explained, "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 only difference is that, obviously, I'm doing that in the public eye. So it can be really overwhelming."

Since the start of her career, Brown's appearance and style have been under seemingly constant scrutiny. She recalled a time she'd worn a lower-cut dress to an award show and been "crucified" online for the choice. "I thought, 'Is this really what we're talking about?'" Brown said. Although she's been dealing with those kinds of comments for years, the "Stranger Things" star said she noticed a difference in how the media and people talk about her since she turned 18. "I believe that shouldn't change anything, but it's gross and it's true," she said, and added, "it's a very good representation of what's going on in the world and how young girls are sexualized."

In 2019, Millie Bobby Brown took her passion for makeup to the next level when she launched her very own beauty line, Florence by Mills. As the launch announcement explained, the line focuses on offering clean, natural products geared toward a Gen Z audience. "I wanted to create something for me and my generation, my friends and peers," Brown said in a statement at the time (via PR Newswire). "A brand that could reflect us and our self-expression and still be good for you, simple to use and suited for changing, transitional skin. Being young in general is so tough, so creating a place to support everyone on their beauty journey was important to me."

The brand was an immediate success. In fact, as Vogue France reported, it was one of the most influential beauty brands in the year of its launch. As of 2023, Florence by Mills now sells skin care, makeup, hair care, and even beauty accessories.

Even though Millie Bobby Brown has a hugely successful career as both an actor and a business owner, after graduating from high school, she decided to continue her education by enrolling in college. As of 2023, the star is studying human services online at Purdue University. "You learn about the system and how to help young people," she told Allure of the program. According to the university's official website, the degree involves 15 to 18 hours a week for four years.

Of course, being both a part-time college student and a full-time actor has its challenges. As she told Parade in 2023, she was working on "finding that balance and being comfortable with sharing your time between work and school."

However, she was determined to keep learning, especially since she had recently become a UNICEF ambassador. "This is something that I'm really interested in, and I felt that my role with UNICEF was far too big for me to just take on the chin," she explained.