‘Stranger Things' Star Dacre Montgomery Reveals Why He Took an Acting Hiatus After Show's Success
In a recent interview with People magazine, Montgomery reflects on how his breakout role as Billy Hargrove in the popular Netflix series 'pushed' him in a 'commercial direction' and led him to take an acting hiatus after his character's (Spoiler Alert!) death in the season three finale in 2019.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Helen Mirren on Finding Time to Do It All and Why She Doesn't Plan to Retire Anytime Soon
'Night Always Comes' Review: Vanessa Kirby Gets Put Through the Wringer in Netflix's Grim Neo-Noir Odyssey
First Look at 'Nobody Wants This' Season 2 Sees Adam Brody and Kristen Bell Still in Love
'I think with Stranger Things — as any big show on Netflix — it's kind of like you lose your anonymity overnight,' he said. 'It was amazing and overwhelming and a combination of many things, and I felt really lucky and really fortunate to have that opportunity.'
He continued to explain what he learned about his career goals from the show. '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.'
That direction led him to 'take time to step back' to figure out what projects he wanted to focus on moving forward. Outside of appearing in Baz Luhrmann's 2022 box office hit and Oscar-nominated film, Elvis, Montgomery has focused on acting in indie films.
'That sort of stuff takes time to kind of reverse engineer a career that's going one way into a different direction,' he said. 'It takes time, and I can't just generate a story, an amazing story [and] an amazing director in front of my eyes.'
Montgomery said his new horror/fantasy film, Went Up the Hill, is 'exactly the thing I want to be doing,' and he wants to work on projects that have 'something really important to say.'
'Now I kind of feel like I'm in a really, really good space with a couple of great movies coming up that fit the bill… in terms of where I wanted to be,' he said.
Went Up the Hill is now playing in select theaters.
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series
22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History
A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
21 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Aubrey Plaza details ‘daily struggle' of coping with husband Jeff Baena's death
Aubrey Plaza is sharing how she's coping with grief and loss after the death of her husband, Jeff Baena. The 41-year-old actress started dating the screenwriter and director in 2011, according to People. The couple, who frequently worked together, tied the knot in 2020 and were married for five years. According to CNN, Baena was found dead in the couple's home on Jan. 3. He was 47. During the Aug. 19 episode of the 'Good Hang' podcast, Plaza opened up about her husband's tragic death with host and former 'Parks and Recreation' co-star Amy Poehler. While she said she's 'here and I'm functioning,' Plaza described coping with death as a 'daily struggle.' 'I feel really grateful to be moving through the world. I think I'm OK, but it's a daily struggle, obviously,' she told Poehler, who played Plaza's boss in the sitcom that ran from 2009 to 2015, per IMDB. Plaza went on to compare the grieving process to a scene she watched from 'The Gorge.' 'In the movie, there's like a cliff on one side and there's a cliff on the other side, then there's a gorge in between,' she said of the film, which was released Feb. 14, per IMDB. 'And it's filled with all these like monster people that are trying to get them,' she continued. 'I was like, that feels like what my grief is like — or what grief could be like — where it's like at all times there's like a giant ocean of just awfulness that's right there and I can see it,' she said of the scene. She continued: 'Sometimes I just want to dive into it, and just like be in it. Then sometimes I just look at it, and sometimes I try to get away from it. But, it's always there.' Plaza and Baena were known to keep their relationship private — despite being together for nearly 14 years. The couple worked together on the 2014 film 'Life After Beth,' which Plaza starred in and Baena directed, per IMDB. He also directed the 2022 film 'Spin Me Round,' which also featured Plaza. In May 2021, while working on 'Spin Me Round,' Plaza casually announced the couple's marriage. 'So proud of my darling husband @jeffbaena for dreaming up another film that takes us to Italia to cause some more trouble,' she wrote in an Instagram post at the time, per E! News. Plaza first opened up about her husband's death three days after the tragedy. 'This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time,' she wrote in a statement shared by E! News on Jan. 6. According to a report by the medical examiner, obtained by People in March, Plaza and Baena had separated in September — months before his death. Authorities later confirmed that the writer and director died by suicide. While speaking to police during the investigation, Plaza confirmed their separation months prior and said he had made concerning remarks in October that led to a welfare check, per People's report. Plaza told authorities that she last heard from Baena three hours before his death when he sent her a text message, according to E! News. He was pronounced dead inside his home at about 10:40 a.m. local time.
Elle
22 minutes ago
- Elle
'The Thursday Murder Club': Netflix's New Hilarious Murder Mystery Is Not One To Miss
Those of us who love a great murder mystery will know that half of the allure lies in an unpredictable plot, intriguing and complex characters, and just enough suspense before it tips into thriller territory. However, one of the most captivating elements of any good murder mystery film or TV show is by far the cast list - and that's just what The Thursday Murder Club promises. Featuring Helen Mirren (1923), Pierce Brosnan (GoldenEye), Ben Kingsley (Gandhi) and more, the Netflix film which is based on the chart-topping Thursday Murder Club book series by Richard Osman, is set to premiere on August 28. The film follows four unlikely friends who meet weekly to solve cold cases, only to find themselves entangled in a real-life murder. As per Netflix, the premise of the film is as follows: 'The film follows a group of friends in a retirement home who gather to solve murders for fun but find themselves caught in a real case.' Director Chris Columbus has spoken about the film's appeal beyond the mystery at its core. 'Thematically it's interesting that we've got four elderly people who are living in a retirement community and who are fascinated by death and murder. They are facing their own demise, yet at the same time they are obsessed with studying cold cases. I fell in love thematically with that. It's comedic, but it's also very emotional' On August 28, viewers will be able to tune into the highly anticipated film. Yes, you can watch trailer by clicking the link here. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE.
Cosmopolitan
22 minutes ago
- Cosmopolitan
Jillian Michaels ‘threatens to sue' Netflix after explosive claims in Fit For TV documentary
One of the most shocking shows on television right now is Netflix's Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser, which goes behind the scenes of one of America's most popular weight-loss programmes. Known for its extreme (and some may argue degrading) approach, participants were forced to face off against each other in a bid to lose the most weight alongside the help of no-nonsense personal trainers. Jillian Michaels, a coach made famous from The Biggest Loser, was namechecked several times in the series, apparently bending the rules by allowing some contestants to take caffeine pills before crucial weigh-ins (Michaels declined to appear in the Fit for TV documentary). However, it seems Michaels, 51, has taken umbrage with some of the claims made in the Netflix documentary, with celebrity gossip site TMZ now alleging that she may even sue Netflix, as well as fellow The Biggest Loser coach Bob Harper and the show's medical advisor, Dr. Robert Huizenga. TMZ adds that Michaels has since met with 'powerhouse' lawyer Bryan Freedman to plot next steps. Michaels has also taken to her Instagram page to debunk allegations made in the documentary: that caffeine pills were banned on the set of The Biggest Loser. Sharing a number of screenshots of messages that she alleges are from those involved, Michaels wrote: 'Here is an email chain with Bob Harper - The Biggest Loser's producers – Dr Huizenga's guy, Sandy Krum, who stayed on set with us and distributed the fat burners about which "fat burners" / caffeine pills to purchase the contestants. This is one email of many that shows:- Dr. Huizenga did approve caffeine pills on many seasons of The Biggest Loser.- Bob Harper not only knew about the caffeine pills, the 'stackers fat burner' were actually his suggestion. I wanted to use my brand instead because they were cleaner and had no more than 200mg of caffeine (equivalent to a strong cup of coffee).- Caffeine was NEVER banned on The Biggest Loser.' She added 'Wild how some folks still lie like it's 1985 before texts and email were a thing.' A final screenshot, which appears to be a text sent by Michaels in 2014, reads: 'I think it's really shitty of you to not even respond to my texts. It's this kind of thing that always makes me so disappointed my [sic] our relationship.' Michaels claims that this is the penultimate text she ever sent to Bob Harper. In Fit For TV, Dr Huizenga tells cameras: 'Caffeine, a weight loss pill, was absolutely against everything in the show. It was in the show rules, and the patients signed off to that and the trainers signed off to that, and all the producers signed off to that." Cosmopolitan UK has contacted representatives for Netflix, as well as representatives for Michaels, about these reports. Kimberley Bond is a Multiplatform Writer for Harper's Bazaar, focusing on the arts, culture, careers and lifestyle. She previously worked as a Features Writer for Cosmopolitan UK, and has bylines at The Telegraph, The Independent and British Vogue among countless others.
