Actor Millie Bobby Brown has named several British journalists in an online post who she claims are guilty of bullying and writing harmful articles about her appearance.
On Monday, Brown, who shot to fame at the age of 10 for her role as Eleven in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, shared a three-minute video on Instagram in which she named four Daily Mail reporters and accused them of being “desperate to tear young women down.”
Global News reached out to the reporters named by Brown for comment but did not receive a response before publication time.
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The 21-year-old has been under heightened public scrutiny in recent weeks as she promotes her upcoming film The Electric State, and has made several high-profile appearances, including at the Brit Awards and the SAG Awards.
“I think it’s necessary to speak up about this. I started in this industry when I was 10 years old. I grew up in front of the world, and for some reason, people can’t seem to grow with me,” she wrote in the video caption.
“Instead, they act like I’m supposed to stay frozen in time, like I should look the way I did on Stranger Things season 1,” Brown continued.
The stories she’s referring to are critical of her hairstyles, clothing choices, make-up and body. They also suggest she has “aged far beyond her years.”
In the video, Brown says, “I will not be shamed for how I look, how I dress or how I present myself,” before encouraging the media to “do better” for the sake of young women growing up in the public sphere and outside of it, adding that berating her and other women for their looks is “not journalism.”
Brown called out British comedian and actor Matt Lucas, who reportedly said she appeared to have had a “mommy makeover.” Brown also accused a reporter who wrote a piece based on Lucas’ comment of “amplifying an insult rather than questioning why a grown man is mocking a young woman’s appearance.”
Lucas apologized to Brown in a written statement on Tuesday morning, where he explained the reasoning behind his comments.
“Dear Millie, I just saw your post and wanted to respond, and provide some context,” he wrote. “Nearly 25 years ago I co-wrote and appeared in a sketch show called Little Britain. There was a character in it called Vicky Pollard, who had blonde hair and always wore a pink top, and in the photo you had blonde hair and wore a pink top so I pointed out the similarity by posting one of her catchphrases.”
“I thought you looked terrific and I was mortified when the press wrote that I ‘slammed’ you, firstly because that’s not my style, and secondly because I think you’re brilliant. I would not have posted it if I had thought it would have upset you but I realise it has and for that I apologise. Matt x.”
Meanwhile, fellow actors and public figures have praised Brown for pushing back.
“Enormously proud of you,” wrote Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker.
Similarly, Louis Partridge, her Enola Holmes co-star, said Brown handled the situation “with grace.”
Mckenna Grace, a former child actor who starred in The Handmaid’s Tale, also commended Brown.
“No young woman or person deserves to feel pressure or cruelty for simply existing. You are so well spoken and so beautiful. Very well said, thank you for making this video,” she said.
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