Millie Bobby Brown says she struggled with not fitting in and loneliness

Millie Bobby Brown says she struggled with being disliked as she grew up in the spotlight because she ‘didn’t know who she was yet’.

The Stranger Things actress, 18, admitted she struggle with loneliness and not feeling like she belonged, as she tried to find her feet in the industry.

Millie spoke about struggling with self-identity in the September issue of Allure, as she admitted she enjoyed playing characters people could ‘relate to’, because she felt she didn’t have that ability herself.

When asked how she manages being in the public eye, Millie said: ‘It’s really hard to be hated on when you don’t know who you are yet. So it’s like, ‘What do they hate about me? ‘Cause I don’t know who I am.’

Millie went on to say that often when she tried to act a certain way she would receive backlash but then she would try being someone else and others would hate that too.

She continued: ‘Then you just start shutting down because you’re like, ‘Who am I meant to be? Who do they need me to be for them?’ Then I started to grow more, and my family and friends really helped.’

The child star admitted that it helped to understand that she didn’t need to bow to external pressure and only had to develop within herself.

Before finding her feet, Millie said she ‘always felt different growing up’, revealing: ‘I enjoyed being different people because I always struggled with self-identity and knowing who I was. 

‘Even as a young person, I always felt like I didn’t quite belong in every room I was in. I also struggle with loneliness a bit. I always felt quite alone in a crowded room, like I was just one of a kind, like nobody ever really understood me. So I liked [playing] characters that people understood [and] people could relate to because I felt like no one could relate to Millie.’

Millie admitted that she felt part of the problem was being ‘too mature’ for her age and people would tell her that it wasn’t a good thing.

The screen star said that she got ‘really down’ about it after people told her that she wouldn’t make it in the film and TV industry.

The interview comes after it was reported Millie has made history as she is set to receive a paycheck of $10million (£8.4million) for her role in Enola Holmes 2. 

She is thought to be setting a record for the largest upfront salary paid to an actor under the age of 20.

Millie first played the role of Enola in the 2020 film opposite Henry Cavill and is set to earn a significantly larger sum for the sequel, according to Variety.

Millie takes on the role of Sherlock Holmes’ younger sister in the film series, with Henry portraying the famous detective.

Netflix confirmed there would be a sequel to the film – which received positive reviews from critics – in May.

Millie is already used to a hefty paycheck, having reportedly earned $20,000 per episode of the first season of Stranger Things.

Thanks to the huge popularity of the show, her salary was said to have increased to $250,000 per episode by seson three, according to Deadline.

Allure’s September 2022 issue is available on newsstands nationwide on August 16th.