Dacre Montgomery, known for his role as Billy Hargrove in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, has been candid about his career journey after the show.
In a recent interview with People magazine, Montgomery shared his thoughts on how Stranger Things impacted his career and led him to take a step back from acting.
Montgomery reflected on the overwhelming experience of being part of a massive show like Stranger Things, saying, "I think with Stranger Things — as any big show on Netflix — it's kind of like you lose your anonymity overnight. And it was amazing and overwhelming and a combination of many things, and I felt really lucky and really fortunate to have that opportunity."
However, he felt that the show pushed him in a commercial direction, which didn't align with his passion for art house films and character development.
Montgomery explained that he needed time to reassess his career goals and figure out what projects he truly wanted to focus on.
"I grew up really wanting to work with all tour directors on arthouse films and really explore how far I can push myself in terms of character development and really, really fall in love with stories. And when Stranger Things came out, I felt like … I was really being pushed in a commercial direction."
This realisation led him to take a step back and "reverse engineer" his career to align with his artistic vision.
Montgomery's new film, Went Up the Hill, is a testament to his commitment to meaningful storytelling. He described the film as "exactly the thing I want to be doing," and highlighted its themes of pain, loss, and connection.
