Stranger Things star Dacre Montgomery posts moving Instagram message about pursuing ambition

Australian actor said he had a tough time in school and suffered from anxiety

Stranger Things star Dacre Montgomery has written an inspiring post about his acting ambitions and road to fame.

The 24-year-old garnered positive reviews for his role as Billy Hargrove in the hit Netflix series, after moving the character from a vile bully and bad brother to Max, to the Mind Flayer’s latest victim.

However, the Australian actor made it clear he hasn’t had an easy ride getting to that moment. He shared a photo of himself on Instagram this week along with a lengthy post about the struggles he faced while trying to pursue his acting dreams.

“When I was a kid, I was lost. I had a really tough time in school. I was a big kid who loved drama,” he wrote. “I never got passing grades, I wasn’t popular or a gifted sports player. Girls were never interested in me. I suffered from anxiety from a young age. I was distracted and I wasn’t focused.”

“I had a dream, I was lucky – I knew what I wanted to do,” he continued. “And every night I went home and I focused on that. I visualised a future where my dreams became a reality,” he added.

Montgomery then went on to list his various mishaps, from failing his high school drama exams to getting kicked out of drama school, getting fired from his job when he was 18 and being told to lose weight.

“When I had a dream, I was told it wasn’t achievable,” he said. “Well, you know what… I lost weight, I went to drama school and I never stopped wanting it, I never stopped being curious. I never let the failures get me down. Because I believed in myself and I never let anyone tell me otherwise.”

He concluded his message with advice to anyone striving to achieve their goals, telling them not to be afraid to fail and adding: “You can do anything you set your mind to. So, go out there and get it!” he wrote