Millie Bobby Brown Almost Quit Acting After Not Landing a ‘Game of Thrones’ Role
The actress recalls facing rejection after rejection before starring in ‘Stranger Things’.
Millie Bobby Brown wears coat; shirt; jeans, CELINE by Hedi Slimane. Gold Clash de Cartier earrings, Cartier. Sneakers, Converse. Photo: Yu Tsai
Millie Bobby Brown
Millie Bobby Brown revealed that she was close to giving up on show business after receiving repeat rejections, including not landing a role on Game of Thrones, early in her career.
"I think I was just very disheartened by the rejection, which is something I tell everyone, it's like, this industry is just full of rejection 24/7," Brown told Jimmy Fallon in a recent appearance on The Tonight Show.
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Millie Bobby Brown wears wool jacket; silk blouse; wool pants, CELINE by Hedi Slimane. Gold Clash de Cartier earrings, gold Clash de Cartier ring, Cartier. Photo: Yu Tsai
Millie Bobby Brown
"You get a lot of nos before you get a yes," she added. "I was auditioning for commercials, for anything, really. I then auditioned for Game of Thrones, and I got a no for that, then that's kind of when I was like, 'Oh, this is really difficult.' I guess I really wanted that role."
Sixteen-year-old Brown previously revealed that she vied for the role of Lady Lyanna Mormont, the tiny but tough leader of Bear Island on the HBO series. The role ultimately went to fellow British actress Bella Ramsey.
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"So one of my last kind of gos at this was this Netflix show called Montauk," Brown explained. Two months after her audition, she got a request to go on a Skype call. "I Skyped with them, and the rest is history, of course." Montauk was later renamed Stranger Things.
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"Montauk was definitely the one that kind of gave me that hope of doing it all again," she said of her revived passion for acting.
Brown was nominated for an Emmy for her performance as Eleven on Stranger Things, first at age 13 then again at 14. As fans await the show's fourth season, they can watch the actress star in the titular role of Netflix's Enola Holmes, now streaming.
This article originally appeared on Harper's BAZAAR US.