Honestly, most people still see Millie Bobby Brown as the little girl with the shaved head eating waffles. It's wild. She’s 21 now, a producer, a business mogul, and basically the face of Netflix. If you think she’s just Eleven, you’ve missed about 80% of what she’s been up to lately.
Her career didn't start in Hawkins, Indiana, either. It’s a common misconception. She was actually grinding in Hollywood long before the Duffer Brothers found her. She did the rounds on procedurals and sitcoms—shows your parents probably watch on a Tuesday night.
The Gritty Early Days You Probably Missed
Before the telekinesis and the Demogorgons, Millie was a working child actor. It wasn't glamorous. In 2013, she played young Alice in Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. She was nine.
Then came the guest spots. She was in an episode of NCIS called "Parental Guidance Suggested." She played a kid who—spoiler alert—actually killed her own mom. It was dark. Like, really dark. It proved even then that she could handle heavy, psychological material.
She also popped up in Modern Family (Season 6, Episode 17) and Grey’s Anatomy (Season 11, Episode 15). In Grey’s, she spent the whole episode on the phone with the doctors trying to save her mother during an earthquake. It’s basically a masterclass in acting with just your voice.
✨ Don't miss: Why Books by Harold Robbins Still Sell Millions Despite the Critics
The Stranger Things Era and the "Netflix Studio"
We all know Stranger Things. It’s the behemoth. But what’s interesting is how Millie used that show as a springboard to become more than just an actor. She didn't just show up and say her lines.
By the time Season 4 and the recently wrapped Season 5 rolled around, she was reportedly making $300,000 per episode. That’s "Friends" level money. But the real shift happened when she started producing.
She realized early on that if you want longevity in this industry, you have to own the stories. That’s where PCMA Productions comes in. The "P-C-M-A" stands for the initials of her and her siblings: Paige, Charlie, Millie, and Ava. It’s a family business, through and through.
✨ Don't miss: Why Solar Power Lorde Lyrics Still Spark Huge Arguments
Breaking Down the Big Hits
If you’re looking for a watchlist, you’ve basically got a Netflix subscription’s worth of content.
- Enola Holmes (1 & 2): This is where she really flexed her producer muscles. She plays Sherlock’s younger sister, but honestly, she outshines Henry Cavill. The fourth-wall breaking and the high-energy sleuthing made these massive hits.
- Damsel: Released in 2024, this flipped the "princess in distress" trope on its head. She’s alone in a cave for most of it, fighting a dragon. It’s physically demanding and proved she can carry a solo action flick.
- The Electric State: This 2025 release from the Russo Brothers (the guys who did Avengers) is a massive sci-fi epic. Starring alongside Chris Pratt, she plays a teen traveling through a retro-futuristic past to find her brother.
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters & Godzilla vs. Kong: These are her rare departures from Netflix. She plays Madison Russell. While she’s not the one punching the giant lizard, she’s the emotional core of the human story.
What’s Happening Right Now in 2026?
If you’ve been keeping up with the news this month, things are getting even busier. Netflix just dropped the first-look images for Enola Holmes 3, and it looks like a total pivot.
The new movie is set in Malta. There’s a huge rumor—partially confirmed by a "leaked" image of a handmade ring—that Enola and Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge) might finally be making things official. It’s scheduled for a Summer 2026 release.
Then there’s Just Picture It. This is her first real romantic comedy. It’s got a weird sci-fi twist where two college students start seeing photos from ten years in the future on their phones. It’s currently in post-production and should hit screens by late 2026.
Why the "Netflix Monopoly" is a Smart Move
Critics love to point out that she rarely works outside of the Netflix ecosystem. People say she’s "trapped." Honestly? That’s nonsense.
She has a deal most veteran actors would kill for. She gets to star in her own movies, produce them, and have guaranteed global distribution. She’s not waiting for a call from a studio head; she is the studio head.
She’s also diversifying like crazy. She just launched "Mills," a fashion line at Walmart, which is separate from her "Florence by Mills" beauty brand. She’s building an empire that doesn't require her to be on a film set 365 days a year.
What You Should Actually Watch
If you want to see her range, don't just binge Stranger Things again.
- Watch "Intruders" (2014): It’s a BBC series where she plays a girl whose body is taken over by the soul of a dead assassin. It’s creepy and her best "underrated" performance.
- Watch "Enola Holmes 2": It’s better than the first one. The chemistry with the cast is tighter, and the mystery actually feels stakes-heavy.
- Check out "Damsel": If only to see how much of a physical powerhouse she’s become.
Moving Forward
The "child star curse" is a real thing, but Millie Bobby Brown seems to have skipped it entirely. She’s transitioned into a producer-actor hybrid who knows exactly what her audience wants.
If you want to stay ahead of the curve, keep an eye on the Summer 2026 release of Enola Holmes 3. It’s likely going to be the biggest movie of her career so far, especially with the Malta setting and the potential wedding subplot. After that, her shift into more "adult" roles in projects like The Girls I've Been (a thriller currently in development) will show us if she can leave the teen-heroine archetype behind for good.
Stay updated by following the official Netflix "Tudum" announcements, as they usually drop the first teasers for her projects about three months before release.