Millie Bobby Brown has been in the spotlight since she was 10, but the Electric State actress just let the world know that her name is not actually Millie Bobby Brown. That’s her stage name. The 21-year-old star’s real name is very similar, with a different middle name.
As she told Buzzfeed UK, “It’s Millie Bonnie Brown. I’ve never told anyone that. You heard it here first!” She said she changed her middle name from Bonnie to Bobby “for shits and giggles.” Her co-star Chris Pratt, who was doing the interview with her, was shocked.
Brown has been making appearances for the last few weeks promoting the Netflix film, which comes out on March 14. The star recently went viral for addressing criticism of her new blonde hair in a candid Instagram.
She wrote, “I want to take a moment to address something that I think is bigger than just me, something that affects every young woman who grows up under public scrutiny. I think it’s necessary to speak up about this. I started in this industry when I was 10 years old. I grew up in front of the world, and for some reason, people can’t seem to grow with me. Instead, they act like I’m supposed to stay frozen in time, like I should still look the way I did on Stranger Things Season 1. And because I don’t, I’m now a target.”
She cited some articles criticizing her appearance, stressing that “this isn’t journalism. This is bullying. The fact that adult writers are spending their time dissecting my face, my body, my choices, it’s disturbing. The fact that some of these articles are written by women? Even worse. We always talk about supporting and uplifting young women, but when the time comes, it seems easier to tear them down for clicks. Disillusioned people can’t handle seeing a girl become a woman on her terms, not theirs. I refuse to apologize for growing up. I refuse to make myself smaller to fit the unrealistic expectations of people who can’t handle seeing a girl become a woman. I will not be shamed for how I look, how I dress, or how I present myself. We have become a society where it’s so much easier to criticize than it is to pay a compliment. Why is the knee-jerk reaction to say something horrible rather than to say something nice? If you have a problem with that, I have to wonder—what is it that actually makes you so uncomfortable? Let’s do better. Not just for me, but for every young girl who deserves to grow up without fear of being torn apart for simply existing.”