Millie Bobby Brown compares being a child star to her recent career

Millie Bobby Brown has reflected on feeling freer as an actress during her early years in the industry.

The Stranger Things star, who began acting at the age of nine, believes she was a braver actress when she was younger and less conscious of external pressure.

Speaking to her Enola Holmes co-star Louis Partridge for Interview magazine, the pair discussed how they both felt “invincible” earlier in their careers.

“I really wish sometimes I could feel the way I felt when I acted when I was in anything under 14,” Millie shared. “I genuinely didn’t care.”

The 22-year-old British actress also mentioned that, in her younger years, she was focused purely on enjoying the work rather than thinking about its wider implications.

“I was just having the best time,” she said, adding, “I wasn’t thinking about playback or awards or pressure or audience or, ‘Is this going to make money?’ Now it’s just adult things that you think about.”

Meanwhile, House of Guinness star Louis echoed similar sentiments, admitting he has become more self-conscious with age.

“I’d like to think I’m growing into the better version of myself as time goes by, but I certainly had a lack of self-consciousness when I was younger,” he told Millie. “You feel invincible. I do miss that. It’s like being in the Garden of Eden.“

Elsewhere in the interview, Millie opened up about the emotional toll of growing up playing Eleven in Stranger Things, a popular role that she portrayed from 2016 to 2025.

“I really shed a part of myself away forever,” she stated. “I don’t necessarily think I’ll ever be the same.”

Millie Bobby Brown and Louis Partridge are currently promoting their latest Netflix film, Enola Holmes 3, which was released on July 1.