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\u2018Stranger Things\u2019 Star Reveals Why He Left Hollywood and ‘Dropped Off the Map’<\/a> originally appeared on Parade<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n Stranger Things star Dacre Montgomery<\/strong> candidly opened up about his decision to leave Hollywood at the height of his fame.<\/p>\n \u201cI think things have changed,\u201d Montgomery, 30, told The Australian, according to TheDaily Mail<\/a>. \u201cTraditional Hollywood stars existed because there was mystery. \u2026 Social media has done away with that. That\u2019s a large part of why I dropped off the map for the last five years.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued, \u201cI\u2019m not trying to compete with anyone else, I\u2019m living my truth and hopefully being able to pay the rent while I\u2019m doing it.”<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve given a piece of myself to every role I\u2019ve played and that\u2019s largely why I\u2019ve taken time off,” Montgomery said. “Lately, there\u2019s been a lot of personal reflection about what I want in my career. I\u2019m trying to gain a bit more control over where and what I\u2019m working on.\u201d<\/p>\n Montgomery’s acting career began with the 2010 short film Betrand the Terrible. He went on to appear in the 2017 Power Rangers reboot and joined the cast of Netflix\u2019s Stranger Things as Billy Hargrove for season 2 that same year. The character was the abusive older step-brother of series regular Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink<\/strong>). Montgomery reprised the role in seasons 3 and 4, which earned him nominations at the MTV Movie & TV Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.<\/p>\n He has most stayed out of the spotlight since leaving the show in 2022, though he’s marking his return to acting with the upcoming film Went Up the Hill.<\/p>\n Parade Daily\ud83c\udfac <\/strong>SIGN UP for Parade\u2019s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox<\/strong><\/a> \ud83c\udfac<\/strong><\/p>\n While Montgomery is reluctant about certain acting roles, he has expressed interest in working behind the camera.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not looking for this to be an engine for my acting career at all,\u201d he told The Daily Telegraph<\/a> in 2024. \u201cI want to direct, and I\u2019m serious about directing, so I\u2019m taking it seriously and not trying to use it as something else.\u201d<\/p>\n