Millie Bobby Brown's rise to superstardom has been an epic ride. Hailing from Bournemouth, the British Spain-born actress rose to fame for portraying Eleven in Netflix's Stranger Things series since 2016. The show itself has been a massive success and an important cornerstone of the 2010s pop culture, amassing dozens of awards and millions of viewers.
With that being said, however, the actress had been making a name for herself way before becoming Eleven in the Netflix original series. She appeared in a music video for a British electronic duo, had cameo roles in many big TV series, and more. To sum it up, here's what Millie Bobby Brown's life looked like before Stranger Things.
6 Millie Bobby Brown Had Hearing Problems When She Was Little
Things weren't always easy in Millie's household before she discovered a love for acting. She was born with partial hearing in one ear, and after a few years, she lost hearing totally in that ear. Determined, Millie's hearing loss doesn't phase her at all.
"I just started to sing, and if I sound bad I don’t care, because I’m just doing what I love,” she told Today. "You don’t have to be good at singing. You don’t have to be good at dancing or acting. If you like to do it, if you genuinely enjoy doing it, then do it. No one should stop you."
5 She Made Her On-Screen Debut In 2013 & Auditioned For 'Game Of Thrones'
In 2013, Millie Bobby Brown made her on-screen debut as a guest star in two episodes of ABC's Once Upon A Time In Wonderland. The series, which is set as a spin-off of Once Upon a Time, sees the actress fitting in the shoes of Young Alice. Even more impressive, she was only nine at the time!
"I then auditioned for Game of Thrones and I got a ‘no’ for that, and then that’s when I was like ‘Oh, this is really difficult,'” she recalled during an interview with Jimmy Fallon. "I think I was just very disheartened by the rejection, which is something that I tell everyone — this industry is just full of rejection 24/7. You get ‘no’s, a lot of ‘no’s, before you get a ‘yes.'"
4 'Stranger Things' Wasn't Millie Bobby Brown's First Main Role In A TV Series
Before ending up in Hawkins, Indiana, Millie was cast in BBC America's Intruders as 9-year-old Madison O'Donnell. The paranormal thriller series is the TV adaptation of Michael Marshall Smith's novel of the same name, centering around a former detective who seeks the truth related to a string of attempted suicides. After airing for eight episodes in one season, the series was eventually canceled.
3 She Had Cameo Roles In 'Grey's Anatomy'
The Hollywood's favorite rising star has also appeared for cameo roles in many big series, such as Grey's Anatomy, NCIS, and Modern Family. She played Ruby in Season 11 of Grey's Anatomy, Episode 15 called "I Feel The Earth Move." She's a young girl whose mother gets critically ill after an earthquake. In Modern Family, however, she doesn't get much screen time. She appears as Lizzie in the 17th episode of Season 6, whose bike gets stolen by Manny.
2 Millie Bobby Brown Also Appeared In A Music Video For British Electro Duo
Millie is also known for appearing in Maroon 5's Cardi B-featured "Girls Like You" among other A-lister women in Hollywood, but that wasn't her first time getting involved in a musical project. Back in 2016, she starred in the "Find Me" music video for British electro duo Sigma as a young woman embarking on an emotional journey through Los Angeles. Up to this writing, the video has amassed over 59 million views on YouTube, making it among the most viewed video on the musicians' channel!
1 What's Next For Millie Bobby Brown?
So, what's next for Millie Bobby Brown? She might be 17, but to call her a 'breakout actress' is not suitable anymore as she'd made a big name for herself in the acting landscape. Currently, the actress has a plethora of projects on her horizon, including the 2022 follow-up of Netflix's Enola Holmes. She's also been keeping herself busy with her beauty line, Florence by Mills and will definitely add more interesting projects to her acting portfolio.
"I’m only 17, but at the end of the day, I’m learning to be a woman. I’m learning to be a young woman, being a young girl, people watch you grow up, right? And they’ve almost become invested in your growth and your journey. But they aren’t ready to accept the fact that you’re growing up," she told MTV about fans who struggle to accept that she's growing older. "I wear a crop top and people are like, 'She’s 10.' I’m like, 'No…I am 17.' That’s a thing that girls do. Or I wear high heels. Or I wear an outfit to an award show and they’re like, 'She looks 50.' No, it’s because you’ve watched me since I was 10. That’s why you think that," the star continued.