Millie Bobby Brown recalls the embarrassment of her first on-screen kiss and how she prepared for it by practising with a pillow
Life can be full of awkward moments for teenagers but spare a thought for young actress Millie Bobby Brown.
Not only was the 15-year-old’s first kiss watched by more than eight million fans. She also had to share the tender moment in front of her parents.
They were there as she filmed the scene for 80s fantasy Netflix drama Stranger Things, which is back for a third series.
Millie admitted: “It was the most awkward thing in the world.”
But a little shame is a small price to pay for the young star who has had 27 award nominations for the hit series.
Such acclaim could easily go to a youngster’s head but Millie, who plays a girl with psychokinetic and telepathic powers, stays very grounded.
Despite being romantically linked with David Beckham’s son Romeo, 16, she does not have a boyfriend.
And instead of dreaming of fame and fortune, Millie is keener on championing children’s rights and is the youngest ever ambassador for the charity Unicef.
Millie, who had small roles US TV shows Greys Anatomy, NCIS and Modern Family, landed the part of Eleven in Stranger Things after sending an audition tape in which she broke down and cried on cue.
In series one the then 12-year-old had a reason to really sob as she had to shave her head.
But Millie, who is deaf in one ear after being born with partial hearing loss, stayed positive.
She told her 19 million Instagram followers: “The day I shaved my head was the most empowering moment of my whole life.
“The last strand of hair cut off was the moment my whole face was on show and I couldn’t hide behind my hair like I used to.
“I realised I have a job to do and that is to inspire other girls that your image or exterior part is not what I think is important.
“What I find important is caring, loving and inspiring other girls.”
During series two, Eleven and her pals close a portal to an alternative universe, a dark world filled with monsters.
And she kisses Mike, played by Finn Wolfhard.
Despite being apprehensive, Millie said: “It’s so cool to have your first kiss on screen.
“I can show people when I’m older.”
In the third series, out now, Eleven and Mike’s romance heats up and the kissing became easier.
She said: “We got used to it. I have been practising with a pillow.
“Finn is one of my best friends, so it is not like it’s weird or kissing someone you don’t know.”
The new series is far lighter than the others and Millie said: “It is hard for me to do scenes where Eleven is happy because I am so used to her being depressed and distraught.
“But just wait until you get to episode four.”
The 80s nostalgia and pop culture references, combined with sci-fi action and a solid cast, have made it one of the most popular shows on Netflix and it relaunched the career of former teen star Winona Ryder, 47.
Millie’s potential was spotted by one of her teachers when she was eight in Florida, where dad Robert had set up a teeth whitening business.
The family had lived in Bournemouth, where Robert was an estate agent.
Millie was enrolled in a stage school in Florida and when an agent said she was a natural the family moved to LA.
Even though she had small roles it was a tough time for the family.
She said: “At times we didn’t know if we could afford food or pay the rent. It was very hard. There were lots of tears.”
The family returned to the UK in 2015, just weeks before Millie landed the role of Eleven.
She now splits her time between London and LA.
Stranger Things has brought Millie a small fortune but she is very focused on how she spends her wealth.
She said: “I hate shopping. I hate trying things on. I don’t indulge.
“My money purely goes to my pets – to my tortoises, their living sanctuary and food.
“I buy the odd Amazon purchase of a humidifier and I love a good diffuser, but that is as far as it goes.”
And Millie uses her enormous social media following to raise awareness of children’s rights and issues affecting youth.
She said: “Adults think it is a lot of pressure for me.
“But it’s the complete opposite. I’m extremely lucky to have a platform.
“Youth has not been listened to for a very long time.
“Now we are uncovering the fact that youth is very talented and vocal.
“It is important to keep social media light-hearted.
“It should be the place to show the person you really are, not the person you are trying to show to be cool.
“As a teenager you just want to feel cool, different and trendy.
“But that is not cool. What is cool is being yourself.”
