Stranger Things 2 new characters guide: Who is Billy?

Along with step-sister Max, “hyper-confident, and edgy” Billy moves into Hawkins in 1984.

Advertisement

We can’t imagine he’s going to be too popular with the main kids: Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers have said they introduced Billy into the show as "it was important to [the kids] to have a human villain in there that could disrupt the lives of our characters" (via TV Guide).

Director Shawn Levy also said, “He is a mean guy. He has prejudices that are ugly. He treats his younger sister in a mean, controlling, bully-ish, domineering fashion. So he's just bad."

Billy was inspired by Stephen King’s horror books. “King always has really great human villains,” explained the Duffer Brothers to EW. “The evil in the real world is often as bad or worse than the supernatural evil, so we wanted to introduce a character like that.”

That means that although Billy may appear like a charismatic Camaro-driving drinking game pro, the character also has a tendency to steals peoples' girlfriends and harbours a violent and unpredictable nature.

More like this

Who plays Billy in Stranger Things season 2?

Dacre Montgomery. The 22-year-old Australian hasn't always played villains – he took a role in the Power Rangers reboot as Jason (The Red Ranger). He’s also had a brief role in comedy/horror film Better Watch Out.

Here’s a fun fact: he stripped almost naked to get the Stranger Things role. After hearing the show was casting, Montgomery submitted a go-for-broke audition tape: “I had an opening score, opening titles and credits. And I got in like a G-string and danced naked to '80s music with this leather jacket and crazy glasses on,” he told THR.

The bold tactic worked and the Duffer Brothers invited Montgomery to a Skype call, after which they shortly made an offer.

Advertisement

We can’t say it’s a strategy you should adopt in your next job interview though.

Meet the cast of Stranger Things 2

Eleven – Millie Bobby Brown

Mike Wheeler – Finn Wolfhard

Will Byers – Noah Schnapp

Dustin Henderson – Gaten Matarazzo

Lucas Sinclair – Caleb McLaughlin

Chief Jim Hopper – David Harbour

Joyce Byers – Winona Ryder

Jonathan Byers – Charlie Heaton

Nancy Wheeler – Natalia Dyer

Steve Harrington – Joe Keery

New for Stranger Things 2...

Max – Sadie Sink

Bob Newby – Sean Astin

Billy – Dacre Montgomery

Roman – Linnea Berthelsen

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement