‘Stranger Things’ Star Dacre Montgomery Says We’ve Only Had A ‘Taste’ Of Bad Boy Billy

Warning: This article contains mild spoilers for Stranger Things 2.

Stranger Things introduced several new characters in its second season, but, aside from a pack of bloodsucking demi-dogs, none have been as sinister as Hawkins newcomer Billy Hargrove. Billy flew into town in his beat-up hot rod, a teen chain smoker with ’80s Bon Jovi hair, with his stepsister Max (Sadie Sink) riding gunshot. But it was the siblings’ volatile relationship that dominated most of their scenes—until Billy crossed paths with the town’s reformed high school bully, Steve Harrington (Joe Keery).

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Australian actor Dacre Montgomery, who plays Billy on the Netflix series, talked about Hawkins’ latest bad boy and why he thinks there is more bad blood for Billy in Season 3.

Dacre Montgomery told THR that fan reaction to his role has been positive, with many Stranger Things viewers saying they love the “heart” he brings to the show’s antagonist. While Montgomery revealed he was bullied in high school, he doesn’t think a “bully” character lurked inside of him, but instead was “conjured up” with the help of Stranger Things showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer. Montgomery also revealed that by the time he shot Episode 6, he told the Duffer Brothers the audience needed something “to care about Billy, to humanize Billy, to see why he is the way he is, so he’s not just angry all the way through.”

When Montgomery shot a pivotal scene with his character’s father, played by Will Chase, it answered a lot of questions about Billy’s anger issues.

“That’s the dynamic within Billy: the monster, and the even bigger monster that lurks at home in his father,” Dacre explained.

Dacre Montgomery also thinks that while there is a chance for Billy to pull a Steve Harrington and do a complete 180 by eventually redeeming himself, his character has a long way to go.

“I think one side of this is that something far more sinister is going to happen,” the Stranger Things star said.

“There’s far more lurking beneath the surface that goes beyond what I’m talking about right now. I don’t know what that is…But on the other side of that, I would love to see Billy have a love interest in the third season. Sitting under a bed of stars on a football field with a girl… I think that would humanize him completely, which would make the sinister side even more scary. You’re giving the love and passion an outlet in a girl and in a forum like that, could be very beautiful — and then play on the juxtaposition of that, against far more sinister things going on in the background.”

Dacre Montgomery added that his Stranger Things character was put in place to be “that force of nature that is controversial.” It sounds like fans should expect more controversy for Season 3.

“In order to go into season three, you need to raise the stakes in that space, and continue to play down that sinister road,” Dacre said. “We’ve only had a taste of Billy.”

In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Montgomery admitted he was thrown into the Stranger Things universe and wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, despite the fact that he was a fan of the first season of the show.

“I’m a relative newcomer,” Dacre said. “Who am I? But there was some really good encouragement from the Duffers. I was never trying to overstep my bounds at all. I watched the first season, I was a fan of the first season. But I didn’t exist in that world. My character didn’t exist in that world. I was just thrown into it.”

Nine episodes later, it’s hard to imagine the Stranger Things world without Dacre Montgomery.

Take a look at the video below to see one of Dacre Montgomery’s most memorable Stranger Things 2 scenes with co-star Cara Buono.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRsDPtNpSxc

Stranger Things 2 is currently available on Netflix.

[Featured Image by Netflix]