Before she became famous as Eleven on Netflix, Millie Bobby Brown took on a very different kind of role. She was a child actor in a guest role on a popular television show. It was a part that shocked the viewers who watched it. That show was the long-running CBS drama NCIS.
The episode, called “Parental Guidance Suggested,” aired in 2014. Millie Bobby Brown was 10 years old when she played the character of Rachel Barnes. The role showed a dark and complex side that was completely opposite to the heroic Eleven she would play two years later in Stranger Things.
Millie Bobby Brown’s Role in NCIS: Rachel Barnes
In NCIS season 12, episode 6, Millie Bobby Brown appeared as a young girl caught in a terrible crime. At first, the story makes the audience feel sorry for Rachel. She is a sweet elementary school student who wears pigtails and talks excitedly about loving Harry Potter. The episode begins with her coming home from school and discovering her mother dead from a gunshot wound.
The NCIS team, led by Special Agent Gibbs (Mark Harmon), steps in to protect her. Her father is a Navy commander, and there is a concern that the family could be a target. Gibbs comforts the frightened girl with hot chocolate and popcorn, and even helps her build a blanket fort at the police station to make her feel safe. Her character seems like an innocent victim in need of protection.
The Shocking Twist in the NCIS Episode
The story takes a major turn. The investigation reveals that Rachel Barnes is not a victim. She is the person who killed her mother.
The reason for the crime is tied to her father’s work. Rachel felt ignored because her father was often away due to his military duties. She shot her mother in the back as a way to get her father’s attention. What made the performance especially unsettling was Rachel’s complete lack of emotion about what she did.
When confronted by Gibbs about her crime, she casually asked for another juice box, showing no remorse for her actions.
This cold behavior from a child character made the episode a memorable one in the show’s long history. Fans of the series often point to Rachel Barnes as one of the most disturbing villains NCIS has ever featured.
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The Connection to Classic Film and Her Career Path
The episode’s story has similarities to a classic movie. It takes inspiration from the 1956 film “The Bad Seed,” which also features a young, pigtailed girl who commits murder. The NCIS episode expands on this idea by linking the child’s actions directly to the absence of a parent in a military family.
This guest role was part of Millie Bobby Brown’s early career, before she got her big break. In the years just before Stranger Things, she also had parts in shows like “Modern Family” and “Grey’s Anatomy”. Her performance in NCIS demonstrated her ability to handle a complicated and dark role at a very young age.
While her character Rachel used manipulation and violence, her later famous role of Eleven in Stranger Things would use psychic powers to fight monsters and protect friends. The contrast between these two characters highlights her acting range.
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