Dacre Montgomerygained significant renown after scoring the role of the Red Ranger in the 2017Power Rangersmovie and he’s shown no signs of slowing down since. AfterPower Rangers, it was on to one of the hottest TV shows out there, Netflix’sStranger Things, and now he stars oppositeGeraldine Viswanathanin the utterly delightful romantic comedy,The Broken Hearts Gallery.
From my perspective, the work seems effortless to Montgomery. He’s a warm, soft spoken charmer inBroken Hearts Gallery, significantly contributed to giving thePower Rangersmovie a grounded quality, and brought a next-level intensity to the role of Billy inStranger Things. Even as he racks up some mighty impressive credits, Montgomery admits he still suffers from nerves on every single set. Here’s how he put it during outBroken Hearts Galleryinterview:
“I’m always nervous. Like, always. That’s one of the big reasons I can’t do theater. I suffer really badly from nerves. Anything, anywhere. Red carpets, whatever it be! But I definitely know that feeling in myself when I feel like I have relaxed enough in a character and I’m kind of in my head going, ‘Okay, I’m on the right track for myself,’ even if it’s not the right track with the director or the audience or so on; I’m always trying to look for that. And I’ve really only had that one moment in my career where I walked on set and I was like, ‘I deserve to be here.’ Every other moment, I kind of have this thing of, I don’t deserve to be here. There’s 50,000 people that want it behind me, and that’s what I think drives me to work harder, because I’m like, ‘Well, if I’m here and I’m not good enough, I might as well work 50,000 times harder than those people behind me.’ And I think that’s all that I think I can strive for.”
What was that one moment Montgomery referred to? It actually happened on the set ofStranger Things:
“Stranger ThingsSeason 3, the sauna scene we shot over a whole week with Shawn Levy, and I just put everything I had into it. And I think it was the first time I walked on set and went, ‘I’m gonna fcking own the sht out of this.’ And I think it was a liberating moment but also just always reminding myself to keep working hard and be extremely appreciative of the opportunities I’m given.”
As a big believer that nerves come from a place of deep passion, I hope Montgomery continues to use them as a motivating factor. But, as a big fan of the work he’s delivered thus far, I also hope he gives himself the credit he deserves.
If you’d like to hear more from Montgomery and Viswanathan about their experience makingThe Broken Hearts Gallery,click herefor the full interview!
