2024 was a busy year for Millie Bobby Brown. Her movie, Damsel came out on Netflix last March, she got married to Jake Bongiovi in mid-May, went viral for a bit she did with Sabrina Carpenter during the Short n’ Sweet tour, and finished filming the fifth and final season of Stranger Things in December. Next up for MBB is The Electric State, another Netflix movie that’s directed by the Russo Brothers (not to be confused with ST’s the Duffer Brothers) and co-stars Chris Pratt. The Electric State is based on the 2018 graphic novel by Simon Stålenhag that takes place in a post-apocalyptic America. It drops on March 14.
Millie has the cover story for Vanity Fair’s March 2025 issue. Given her very eventful year, Millie had a lot to talk about. She talked about her marriage, the difficulties of making friends as a famous person, how the press treated her when she was a child star and more. You can read the full article here, but here are some highlights courtesy of JustJared.
On the effect negative and invasive press has had on her growing up: “I started this really young, and I felt that the press specifically was very, very harsh on me. And so I just like to make sure that I’m advocating for myself…I think, just in general, there should be more laws with the media in terms of paparazzi in terms of exploitation.”
On fame: “I never wanted to be famous…That was never my thing. I just love acting.”
On deleting social media from her phone at the age of 18: “I was like, Oh my goodness, this is making me feel horrible about myself…I deleted it because I was becoming way too obsessed with the idea of becoming someone else.”
On her parents protecting her in the entertainment industry: “I grew up with a lot of eyes on my parents, but I feel that those were the people that protected me the most.”
On struggling with friendships: “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.”
On the message she sent to Sabrina Carpenter ahead of her concert to “arrest” her during the show: “Can you arrest me?” To which Sabrina responded: “I would love to arrest you.”
On implementing her own adolescent confusion into the identity of her character, Eleven: “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.”
On crying while filming the final season of Stranger Things: “I was on set, and I was like, ‘Well, I have one more day left.’ And I started crying. I don’t actually like to cry at work. I’m a really emotional person, but I try to stay super strong. It made me feel so uncomfortable. Jake was like, ‘It’s good, you have to get it out!’ and I just started welling up.”
On the trad wife trend and living on a farm in Georgia: “I’m not doing it for the aesthetic…I’m doing it because I love it. There are maybe some trad wives out there doing it because it seems wholesome, but it is not. If you’re not picking up horse s–t or washing a cow with your bare hands, then that life is not made for you. At all.”
On her relationship with Jake Bongiovi: “We talked about our political views, what kind of family we want to build, the kind of home we want to live in, the kind of relationship we’re looking for, the kind of careers we want. It’s such an important decision, and we wanted to make sure we were making the right one. I knew I was. It always felt right with him.”
On what she has learned so far in their marriage: “Loving someone and being in love are two different things…I think I loved a lot of people I was with, like I loved my friends. But he is the first man I’ve ever loved and been in love with. If we’re not fully invested, then what’s the point? We have to be, and we always have been.”
I’m really impressed by Millie’s responses. The answer about the reality of being a “trad wife” on a farm made me laugh. I don’t have TikTok but I once went down a rabbithole about the trad wife farm thing after seeing a leftie influencer post about it online. Anyway, I really love that she points out that there is a difference between loving someone and being in love. That is something a lot of women struggle to differentiate. It’s also great that she specifically mentioned that she and Jake talked about politics, kids, the type of relationship they’re each looking for, etc. I always assumed that was what everyone did but social media has taught me that it’s not. Let’s normalize this for the young women in Millie’s generation.
I was worried about her after Stranger Things took off and we heard how demanding her father was as her manager. She seems to have grown up to be relatively grounded, and that makes me happy.
photos via Instagram and credit: IMAGO/Barbara Hine/Avalon and Getty Images for Netflix
MBB seems to be a bit more grounded but the fact she’s a former child actress in her literal prime and chose to get married reminds me of Sophie Turner who did the same thing and we all saw how that turned out and the struggle it was for her to get momentum back in her career.
I hope MBB proves to be the exception and her marriage works out and her career continues to thrive
I think, there is a huge difference. MBB married someone her age. Also, she married into a famous family, known for keeping their life private. They didn’t put their son’s life in front of the media or on social media. I really think, MBB has stage parents, she was the breadwinner of the family and her family let her live with a grown man when she was very young. They didn’t seem to look out for her at all. Getting married meant some kind of freedom from her stage parents, I assume.
Still, they married young and the stats are not on their side. So, I wish them well.
I get that we need to see children acting to tell various stories but wow I wouldn’t wish child stardom on anyone. It seems to only end in one extreme or the other (or they bail quite early and go back to being regular people). I wish her the very best in navigating her life and figuring out who she is.
Her comment about school and making friends is interesting. I was coaching someone a few years back and she shared that being home schooled (rare in the UK where we are) really impacted her social skills. I was travelling abroad for a few years under the age of ten and had a proper lightbulb moment about some issues of my own that I’ve always struggled with. Early years socialisation with your peers is so important.
I hope it works out for them, I always want to root for love.
I wish them well. She’s extremely talented and both seem quite decent. Blessings.
She’s one of my favorite actresses to watch – someone who always catches my eye whenever she’s on screen. Child actor is a weird life, for sure – I hope she’s able to find happiness and stability.