Dacre Montgomery shot to stardom with his role as Billy Hargrove in Stranger Things, but he left Hollywood at the height of his fame. Now, he’s returning to the spotlight and explaining the reason for his hiatus.
“I think things have changed,” Montgomery, 30, recently told The Australian, per Daily Mail. “Traditional Hollywood stars existed because there was mystery. … Social media has done away with that. That’s a large part of why I dropped off the map for the last five years.”
Montgomery began his acting career in 2010 when he appeared as Fred in the film Betrand the Terrible. He later starred as Jason Scott, the leader of the Power Rangers, in the Power Rangers film reboot in 2017.
That same year, Montgomery joined the cast of Netflix’s Stranger Things season 2 as Billy Hargrove, the abusive older step-brother of Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink). He reprised his role in seasons 3 and 4 and received critical acclaim for his performance. He was nominated for an MTV Movie & TV Award and joined his castmates in receiving two nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
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Despite his success with Stranger Things, Montgomery has mostly stepped away from acting since he exited the series in 2022, having only appeared in the films Better Watch Out (2017), The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020) and Elvis (2022). His upcoming movie Went Up the Hill, in theaters Friday, August 15, marks his return to the industry.
“I’m not trying to compete with anyone else, I’m living my truth and hopefully being able to pay the rent while I’m doing it,” Montgomery explained.
He continued, “I’ve given a piece of myself to every role I’ve played and that’s largely why I’ve taken time off. Lately, there’s been a lot of personal reflection about what I want in my career. I’m trying to gain a bit more control over where and what I’m working on.”
In addition to his role in Went Up the Hill, he is also set to star in and make his directorial debut in the upcoming drama The Engagement Party. However, he told The Daily Telegraph in 2024 that he initially planned to stay behind the camera for the movie.
“I’m not looking for this to be an engine for my acting career at all,” Montgomery said at the time. “I want to direct, and I’m serious about directing, so I’m taking it seriously and not trying to use it as something else.”
Montgomery is not expected to appear in Stranger Things season 5, which is slated to premiere in November. However, he told ScreenRant on August 6 that he was excited for series creators Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer to close out the show.
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“I’m more excited than anything for it to be over for the Duffer Brothers, because I know they have so many other awesome stories that, years ago, they were telling me about,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Guys, you haven’t had the bandwidth to make this project.’ So, that’s my most exciting thing.”
He also told the outlet that he wanted to see where Sink, 23, takes her career.
“She’s such a talented actress that’s had some amazing opportunities over the last few years,” he continued. “I really, more than anything, just want her to see her continue to do so many cool performances outside of Stranger Things, because I just think that she’s so talented, so professional, so driven — all those sorts of things.”
