Dan Stevens on His Best Movie, TV Roles: ‘Downton Abbey,’ ‘Legion’

“I believe your career is determined as much by what you say no to as what you say yes to,” Stevens told Business Insider.

Stevens knows how to say no, even when it’s tough. He famously grief-stricken fans by asking to step down from beloved period drama Downton Abbey, which forced him to kill off fan-favorite character Matthew Crawley. But he was eager to try something new after starring mostly in period dramas. He credits his move from his native England to the US for opening up his career.

“There was a real openness to seeing actors try things that we haven’t necessarily seen before here, and that was really appealing to me,” Stevens says.

Eventually, he realized the United States might offer “a more interesting path for me.”

That path recently led Stevens to “Cuckoo,” a trippy horror movie in which he plays the villain, Herr Koenig, an eccentric flautist who terrorizes “Euphoria” actor Hunter Schafer. Stevens gives a fun, manic performance that shows he’s having a lot of fun, and that he’s come a long way since his “Cousin Matthew” days.

Stevens goes full psychopath in “Cuckoo.”
Felix Dickinson, courtesy of NEON

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Beware his evil flute playing.
neon

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Over the past decade, Stevens has been hesitant when it comes to choosing roles, preferring to push his boundaries rather than play it safe.

“Taking those risks certainly brings with it fears and anxieties, and figuring out what that means and how it all plays out is part of the journey,” Stevens said of how he felt about leaving Downton Abbey. “I left with no idea what the answers to those questions were, but it’s been fun to find out little by little over the years.”

Business Insider’s latest interview Role Play seriesStevens reflects on leaving Downton Atkinson, walking on stilts to play the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, and fulfilling a lifelong dream by starring opposite Al Pacino.

On the excitement and fear of leaving Downton Abbey

It’s been over 10 years since you left Downton Abbey. Looking back on the show and your experience there now, is there anything you look at differently?

Nothing in particular. I think it’s amazing that the fan love for that show has endured and that people still continue to discover it. I still get messages every other week from people who can’t believe what happened after season 3 ended, but the love for the show has continued and I have very, very fond memories of it.

Do you still keep in touch with any of the cast? I’ve heard some of them will be reuniting for the upcoming third “Downton” series.

Yeah, yeah. I keep in touch with some of them and occasionally one or two of them come over to LA and I meet up with them when they’re in town.

Was it a scary decision for you to leave “Downton Upon a Time in the World” when the show was at its height?

That’s really scary, but at the same time, that’s what makes it fun.

In terms of career regrets, is there anything you look back on and regret turning down?

I take responsibility for every choice I’ve ever made. I try not to have too many regrets in my career. Whether something ends up being a success or not, there must have been a reason why you jumped into it in the first place. Maybe you just wanted to try something, maybe there was a specific person you wanted to work with, maybe there was a director or an actor, and I think there must have been a reason why you were there.

And how that project ends up is mostly out of my control. You just have to take the hit if things succeed or fail. And like I say, I try to find a good reason to do almost everything and enjoy what I’m doing in the process.

The controversy over the motion capture suits in “Beauty and the Beast”

Your Clips Wearing a motion capture suit on the set of “Beauty and the Beast” There was a lot of buzz when the film was released in 2017. How did you feel when that photo was circulated and you saw the reaction?

What surprised me was that all of the headlines were not “How did Dan Stevens walk on those stilts?” but rather “How did Emma Watson handle this with a straight face?”

Not a very appealing headline, I know, but to me, that’s the story the image tells, not the other way around.

I mean, looking back, Emma had just finished filming Harry Potter, so I imagine she probably encountered some weirder things on set.

Yes, absolutely. And no, she was completely unfazed by all the technological wizardry, but maybe many people weren’t.

Was wearing the motion capture suit as awkward as it looked?

I love that kind of stuff, I love the combination of technological innovation and creative storytelling, it’s super exciting and I’d love to do it again.

I think it was a really fun way to create characters and to soak up the energy of the whole team that made it happen. I felt like I was pioneering something every day. It was awesome.

On bringing Legion back into the Marvel Universe

With the MCU currently undergoing a major revamp, with films like “Deadpool” and “Wolverine” it seems like your Marvel character Legion could potentially appear in future films, would you consider returning to the role at this point?

I think “Deadpool, Wolverine and Legion” would be a great next step, we’ll see if that happens.

People love Good cameo appearance.

that’s right.

On working with Al Pacino, watching his own movies, and roles that are special to him

You also shot another horror film, “The Ritual.” Al Pacinowhich is due to be released. What did you learn working with him on set?

I had the great pleasure of working with him. It was truly a lifelong dream come true. He was the sweetest person and such a vibrant actor. His attitude, his energy and the nuance he brought to the job was incredible to watch and I will always cherish that.

You’ve already worked with a lot of incredible directors in both film and television. Is there anyone you haven’t worked with yet that you would love to work with?

I’m a big fan of Robert Eggers. I think he’s fantastic. The Witch is one of my favorite movies of recent years.

And I really enjoyed “Lisa Frankenstein.” I think Zelda Williams is a very exciting new voice and has a great stylistic sense.

We’ve talked about some of your most memorable roles, but you’ve also played a Russian pop star, Charles Dickens, King Kong’s dentist, etc. Are there any roles that you feel were underrated or that you wished the fans had more love for?

What I love about the way media is consumed today is that people discover things at odd times and unlikely things really stick around and pop up, so it’s always interesting when people say, “Hey, I loved you in X, Y, and Z,” and it’s always nice when they say something that’s not maybe the usual two or three.

And what I’m especially happy about is how much people enjoyed “High Maintenance.” It was such a joy to be on this show. It was such a great job, such a great creative family, such a great character to play, and such a fun time making it. And this particular role really meant a lot to a lot of people. It spoke to people in a special way. So it makes me so happy when people tell me they enjoyed “High Maintenance.”

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.