Millie Bobby Brown has reflected on one of the most painful parts of growing up in the spotlight.
Now 22, the actor has spent much of her adolescence and early adult life in front of audiences after breaking out in Stranger Things when she was just 12.
That unusual path meant her childhood looked very different from that of most people her age, and it came with sacrifices she now recognizes more clearly.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast in an episode released on Sunday, June 29, 2026, Brown said the thing she feels she missed most was “socialization,” explaining that she did not go through a conventional school experience.
That lack of everyday interaction with peers, she said, has even shaped the way she responds to fans in public.
“Sometimes when fans come up to me, they’ll be like ‘Millie!’ and I’ll be like ‘Aah!'”
The Stranger Things actor went on to explain that connecting with people her own age has not always come naturally because of the environment she was raised in while working.
“I just don’t know how to react sometimes to people my own age. I have a harder time. Because I grew up with primarily men on crews, let’s change that.”
She then clarified that many of the men she had spent time working alongside were much older, often over 40.
Brown continued: “And so I heard a lot of adult talk growing up, I didn’t really talk about the things you’re meant to talk about as a kid.
“Because you hear ‘Where’s the grip? Let’s grab a ladder,’ you know? And so that’s your whole conversation.”
She said discussing technical aspects of filming, including lenses and shot setups, felt normal to her, but everyday conversations about things like favorite bars or restaurants were much harder to navigate.
The Damsel actor also shared that her social life has evolved since meeting her husband, Jake Bongiovi, whom she married in May 2024.
Calling him a “social butterfly,” she said he has a personality that contrasts sharply with her own.
The Enola Holmes star added: “You know, he went to boarding school and college so he is like a social butterfly. When I met him, I really tried to lean more into that. So, I’m in my social era.”
While she has credited Bongiovi with helping her come out of her shell, Brown has also previously spoken about one habit of his that frustrates her.
It all comes down to packing, or more specifically, his refusal to do it properly.
“My husband, he doesn’t pack any clothes, just ever,” Brown revealed. “So, we’ll leave, and I’ll have a huge suitcase, and he’ll have nothing with him, just his phone, never really a charger, he just steals mine.”
Brown and Bongiovi, who married in a private ceremony in 2024, also welcomed their first child via adoption in the summer of 2025. Brown has said she is looking ahead to life beyond Stranger Things, with the show’s fifth and final season expected later in 2026.