Seeing someone like Millie Bobby Brown subjected to ongoing bullying and criticism because of her accent is depressing in a society that values individuality and embraces diversity. The young actress, who is best known for her portrayal of Eleven in the popular series Stranger Things, has been the target of hurtful comments and relentless criticism regarding the way she speaks.
Yet rather than succumbing to the negativity, Brown, 20, has chosen to rise above it and silence her critics with confidence and grace. In a recent interview with internet personality, Max Balegde, the Spain-born actress, delivered a few harsh remarks to those who poke fun at her irregular patterns of accent.
Instead of retaliating or engaging in negativity, Brown chose to take the high road and silence her detractors with grace and dignity.
Millie Bobby Brown Responds to Those Who Say She Lost Her British Accent
Earlier this week, Millie Bobby Brown caused a stir when fans noticed that, while touring the media to promote her new film, Damsel, she appeared to have dropped her British accent in favor of an American one.
But in a Friday interview with TikToker Max Balegde (via Daily Mail), the Stranger Things actress revealed that she was raised in both nations and that she “can’t help” changing her accent depending on who she is with.
Brown went on to say that
“Let me just speak to that real quick. I’m an actor. I grew up in the public eye. I grew up in America.”
The actress moved to the United States at the age of eight in order to pursue an acting career, despite having grown up in Bournemouth, England (via the NY Times). Her big break came when she was cast as the American character Eleven in Stranger Things (2016–present). Continuing, she added:
“I come to set and I’m an actor and I adapt. And so I want to mimic people.”
According to Brown, she naturally feels compelled to “replicate” the accent of Americans, such as Jimmy Fallon or her fiancé, Jake Bongiovi, and vice versa:
“Now that I’m in England I want to replicate that! I don’t do it intentionally and I’m sorry if it offends you! But listen I am trying my best!”
In 2020, Miley Cyrus’ Bright Minded Instagram series featured Brown, who revealed to the 31-year-old pop star that watching Hannah Montana is where she truly learned how to sound American.
Millie Bobby Brown Got Her American Accent From Watching Hannah Montana?
Millie Bobby Brown has been greatly influenced by Hannah Montana! Miley Cyrus’ popular Disney show helped her perfect her American accent, as the Stranger Things actress confirmed in 2022 when she appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
When Jimmy Fallon inquired as to whether the rumor was true, the 20-year-old actress confirmed it, saying:
“Yes, absolutely! I watched Bugsy Malone and Godfather when I was like eight and my parents were like, you know, watching all these movies with me and I was like ‘Yeah but Hannah Montana is like Oscar-nominating, like it’s so good’.”
She went on, “Hannah Montana is the best…Everything about it is amazing.”
During her 2020 appearance as a guest on Cyrus’ Instagram series Bright Minded, Brown spoke about the influence the Disney Channel program had on her life. She told the Wrecking Ball hitmaker:
“The only way I got my American accent was by watching Hannah Montana…I was obsessed with [Hannah Montana].. I wanted your job. I didn’t know how to get your job but I was like, ‘I want to be like Hannah Montana. I don’t know how to do it’.”
Well, on the personal front, the Enola Holmes actress has been dating actor Jake Bongiovi since 2021. She made the announcement of their engagement in April 2023 (see BBC). The fantasy film Damsel, directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, is Brown’s latest project.
Netflix released Damsel yesterday, March 8, 2024.
