Millie Bobby Brown Reveals She Nearly "Quit Acting" After Losing A Major Role To Bella Ramsey

Millie Bobby Brown is definitely one of the biggest stars around today, but there was actually a time when she thought about quitting acting altogether.

The Stranger Things star talked about her moment of doubt during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon back in 2020.

Acting can be an unforgiving world.

If you want to make it on stage or on the big screen, you’ll face a lot of rejection along the way.

Even if you try to handle it as best as you can, it’s completely normal for the constant rejection to become overwhelming at times.

Some people might even decide to give up. Luckily, Brown didn’t throw in the towel.

Instead, she continued on and has become extremely successful, despite all the setbacks.

But there was one particular role she missed out on that almost made her think seriously about leaving acting. 

It was an audition for a part in the HBO series Game of Thrones, in one of its later seasons.

Brown auditioned for Game of Thrones. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Netflix

She recalled: “I think I was just very disheartened by the rejection which is something that I tell everyone, is like, ‘this industry is such full of rejection 24/7.’"

“You get no's – a lot of no's – before you get a yes."

Brown had auditioned for the role of Lyanna Mormont in the series.

She said: “I was auditioning for commercials, for anything really, I then auditioned for Game of Thrones and I got a no for that and then that's when I was kinda like ‘Oh, this is really difficult.’”

“So, I guess I really wanted that role.”

Bella Ramsey played Lyanna Mormont. Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images

Fans might remember Lyanna Mormont as the fierce and unyielding lady of Bear Island, who sends her troops to fight alongside the Starks.

The character dies heroically, taking down an undead giant by stabbing it in the eye with a dragonglass dagger.

I'd mention spoilers, but let's be honest, it's been out long enough by now.

The role was eventually played by Bella Ramsey, who later starred in The Last of Us alongside Pedro Pascal, another Game of Thrones alum.

But things took a positive turn for Brown when she received a callback for a Netflix show called Montauk.

The show was eventually renamed Stranger Things, and Brown landed the role of Eleven.

Since then, her performance has propelled her career to new heights, earning her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

She’s also had roles in major blockbuster films, including two Godzilla movies.