Millie Bobby Brown responds to online criticism of her accent switching: ‘What I hear is what I do’
Millie Bobby Brown has shared how “frustrating” she finds the online backlash to her switching between a British and American accent.
On the Smartless podcast, the Stranger Things star talked about the online reaction to her switching accents after host Will Arnett said it was “cool” how she went “in and out” during the conversation.
“That was such a huge thing for a minute. I actually call it the ‘accent-gate’ because it’s so frustrating because that was everywhere. Like for a second, everyone was talking about my accent, and they had a real problem about it,” she said.
“And I was like, ‘Guys, I’m married to an American,’” referring to her husband, model Jake Bongiovi, who she married in May 2024.
“When I’m around his family, I immediately go into, like, an American accent. But then I was just in England, and then the second I hear my mom and dad’s accent, I just go right back,” she added.
Brown explained that it felt similar to playing a character.
“You want me to play these characters, but you expect me not to morph into people. What I hear is what I do. It’s all part of it.”
Last year, after an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, fans were left confused after she appeared to switch between accents, leading to some fans saying she sounded “Australian” as she flipped between American and British.
The Enola Holmes star told TikTok interviewer Max Balegde: “I’m an actor. I grew up in the public eye. I grew up in America. I come to set and I’m an actor and I adapt, and so I want to mimic other people!”
“I can’t help that when I’m around my fiancé, or when I’m with people like Jimmy Fallon who have a very American accent, I wanna replicate it!” she said. “And now I’m in England, I wanna replicate that [accent]! I don’t do it intentional, and I’m sorry if it offends you, okay? But listen, I’m trying my best! I’m trying my best.”
Brown recently called out “disturbing” press coverage of her physical appearance during promotions for her new film, The Electric State.
In a video she shared on her Instagram, she said: “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. Instead, they act like I’m supposed to stay frozen in time, like I should still look the way I did on Stranger Things Season 1. And because I don’t, I’m now a target.”
“We always talk about supporting and uplifting young but when it comes down to it, it seems a lot easier to just tear them down for clicks. Disillusioned people can't handle seeing a girl become a woman on her terms, not their own.
“I refuse to apologise for growing up. I refuse to make myself smaller to fit the unrealistic expectations of people who can’t handle seeing a girl become a woman. I will not be shamed for how I look, how I dress, or how I present myself.”
