At twelve years old, actress Millie Bobby Brown achieved worldwide fame for her role as Eleven in the Netflix series Stranger Things, landing two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She then scored two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series, becoming one of the youngest nominees in history. As of this publication, she has been nominated and won the most awards out of any other cast member on the show.
Before Stranger Things, Brown was previously known for her guest appearances on television shows. After making her acting debut in ABC's Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, she made appearances in shows such as NCIS and Modern Family. Her last television show appearance before Stranger Things was on a 2015 episode of Grey's Anatomy. She has since primarily worked on growing her film career rather than appearing on shows other than Stranger Things.
The creation of Stranger Things and its positive reviews played a role in Brown's stardom, with the industry seeing how strong her acting abilities are. Combining her skills and the show's formation helped her succeed and receive multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Here's how it all happened:
8 Acting Debut
Brown began her acting career by portraying a young Alice in two episodes of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. The show was a spin-off of ABC's Once Upon a Time, and was met with mixed to positive reviews from critics. Although she was only in two episodes, her career took off soon afterward. Once Upon a Time in Wonderland ended in 2014 after only one season. However, the show is currently available to stream on Disney+.
7 First Starring Role
Shortly after Once Upon a Time in Wonderland ended, the English actress was cast as Madison on the BBC show Intruders. The show was met with mixed to negative reviews from critics, with Maureen Ryan from the Huffington Post saying, "If you awkwardly stitched together the first two acts of seven random X-Files episodes, you might get something like the first two episodes of the intensely frustrating drama Intruders." This, along with low viewership, led to the show's cancellation after only one season.
6 'Stranger Things'
After Intruders' cancellation, Brown was invited to audition for the role of Eleven while in London. Before the audition, she did not know much information about the show, and told SciFiNow that she thought the show's name was Montauk. During the audition, she took part in a screen test with her future co-star Finn Wolfhard in front of show creators the Duffer Brothers and producer Shawn Levy. After her audition, she received a call from the producers that night, telling her she got the part.
5 Netflix Premiere
After one year of teasing and promotions, Stranger Things premiered on July 15, 2016. Within a month of the release, over thirteen million households in the United States were watching the show. Rotten Tomatoes gave season one a 97% approval rating, and critics have praised Brown for her portrayal of Eleven on the show. Because of the acclaim, Netflix quickly renewed the show for a second season, with all of the prominent cast members returning.
4 First Emmy Nomination
Following her performance on season one, Brown was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2017. Being a first-time nominee, the star went up against five actresses, including Orange Is The New Black stars Uzo Aduba and Samira Wiley. She went on to lose to The Handmaid's Tale star Ann Dowd.
3 Preparing For Second Season
Due to the show's popularity, producers and cast members went all out in promoting the show. The actress participated in multiple publicity opportunities with co-stars Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, and Gaten Matarazzo. After they were all featured in a 2017 issue of Entertainment Weekly, Brown landed her own cover on the publication shortly before the season two premiere, and covered the issue in her season two wardrobe and hairstyle.
2 Season Two Netflix Premiere
Once again, Stranger Things locked in millions of viewers. Over fifteen million households watched the show within the first three days of its release. Like season one, the show received positive reviews, with some primarily being focused on Brown. One critic from NOW Toronto focused his review on Brown's character, saying, "The growth is noticeable in how Eleven is handled. No longer mimicking E.T., she is not just a powerful oddity causing awe and bewilderment, but instead a regular teenager full of raging emotions, testing boundaries and searching for an identity."
1 Second Emmy Nomination
Brown was once again up for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Unlike the previous year, the star was going up against six other actresses, including Alexis Bledel for The Handmaid's Tale and reigning winner Ann Dowd, also for The Handmaid's Tale. Unfortunately, she lost to Westworld star Thandiwe Newton, who Brown was up against during her first nomination in 2017.