Millie Bobby Brown may be one of Hollywood’s biggest young stars, but in a surprising revelation, she’s admitted that she struggles with friendships and social skills. The Stranger Things actress, who shot to fame at just 11 years old, has opened up about how growing up on set and being privately tutored left her feeling socially disconnected from people her own age.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, the 20-year-old confessed, “I don’t have many friends because of who I am. I didn’t go to school, so I don’t have the best social skills when it comes to people my own age and friendships. I struggle with that quite a bit. I missed out on a few things. But I’m working through them.”
Growing up in the spotlight
Millie, who became a global sensation as Eleven in Stranger Things, shared that her identity struggles during adolescence mirrored those of her on-screen character. She recalled how her own confusion about self-expression influenced Eleven’s journey in the series.
“Eleven’s identity was a huge thing that we were kind of fighting with. Is she going to dress as a girl? Or is she gonna dress in the shirts of her adoptive father, Hopper? Or is she gonna be what her friends are helping her to be? At that time in my life, I didn’t know what I wanted to look like—if I preferred more feminine looks, more masculine looks, more androgynous, more grunge. So I implemented that confusion.”
If growing up on set wasn’t already isolating enough, the COVID-19 pandemic made things even more challenging. Millie revealed that the lockdowns further separated her from her Stranger Things co-stars—Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Matarazzo, and Sadie Sink—leaving her feeling even more out of sync with her peers.
When she’s not acting, Millie has found solace in something far away from the Hollywood spotlight—running an animal rescue centre. The actress, who is married to Jake Bongiovi, has dedicated herself to helping animals, proving that even though she may struggle with human friendships, her love for animals is unwavering.
