Teen stardom can be a difficult beast to handle but not for Millie Bobby Brown as she finds comfort in the company of her "Stranger Things" co-stars, who are going through a similar experience and are her best friends.
Brown, 15, says it helps that she is surrounded by fellow teenagers Noah Schnapp, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin on the show.
"Fame is not really something I live by. I have one job which is to act. My job isn't to be famous. Fortunately or unfortunately, fame comes with acting, and acting is my favourite thing on earth. I love to portray characters that I feel are powerful and strong," Brown told PTI in a group interview here.
The show also features Winona Ryder and Brown says she found the senior actor to be a "relatable" figure on the show's set as she has also gone through a similar phase early in her career.
"There's not much advice she gives us but she definitely has experienced what we are (experiencing). She was a child actor so she definitely helped us in that respect. She was very relatable because she literally went through the same thing."
Brown, who has garnered over 19 million followers on Instagram post her breakout role, believes her popularity can be mined to spread positive messages like becoming the youngest ever Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF last year.
"Fame has a lot of negative and positive aspects. One of the positive aspects of my fame was becoming UNICEF goodwill ambassador and so now I have my platform. There are many actors and singers who use the platform to spread an amazing message.
"So for me, my message was children's rights. Making sure that children are fulfilling their dreams and getting what they deserve, their education, clean water, vaccines, home, a family and love and a safe place to be," Brown says.
"Stranger Things" is now coming back for its third season and the young actor says she is happy to be reunited with her co-stars, who became her "best friends" while working on the show.
"I'm just so lucky to have worked with my best friends and to experience all of this with them. When we go to the award shows also, it's great to have your best friend on your arm. When you're nervous, you just look at them and be like 'Are you feeling what I'm feeling?'" Brown says.
"We just relate with each other. You know you're not going through this alone. That's why we keep each other so close. We don't talk to each other every day. We don't talk to each other for a month sometimes. But when we do talk to each other, it's like we're going right back to our old ways again."
Brown says everyone on the show -- be it the adult actors Ryder and David Harbour or child stars -- are treated in an equal manner.
"All of our voices are heard on an equal playing field, which I thought was really important. We're all co-workers, it's not like one kid gets more than the other. We're all equal in that respect, which I love. Nothing has changed. We've just gotten closer as people," the actor adds.
"Stranger Things" season three will start streaming on Netflix from July 4.
(PTI)
