{"id":468142,"date":"2026-05-04T16:20:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T16:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/468142\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T16:20:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T16:20:19","slug":"dan-stevens-interview-on-the-terror-devil-in-silver-horror-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/468142\/","title":{"rendered":"Dan Stevens Interview on ‘The Terror: Devil in Silver,’ Horror, & More"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWait, sorry, so Ridley Scott is a fan of Eurovision the annual musical event or \u2018Eurovision\u2019 the Netflix film<\/a> that you star in?\u201d Journalism, folks! It\u2019s always important to clarify fuzzy details.<\/p>\n

In this case: Ridley Scott is a huge fan of the Netflix film. Maybe the annual musical event too? But, at least according to \u201cEurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga\u201d<\/a> star Dan Stevens<\/a>, the legendary filmmaker and iconic producer loves to laugh at daffy musical numbers on the world\u2019s largest streaming service.<\/p>\n

These are the kinds of things that come up in conversation with the wonderfully shape-shifting actor, who always seems to be doing something new. The last time we spoke was a staggering six years ago<\/a>, during which I tried \u2014 and, frankly, think I mostly succeeded \u2014 in helping make \u201cthe Summer of Dan Stevens\u201d happen during a time when we all really needed something silly and fun to focus on. (Stevens today: \u201cTricky in 2020 to make it the summer of anything other than what was obviously going on. That\u2019s very kind of you to try, though.\u201d)<\/p>\n

\"Departures\"<\/a> \"STAR<\/a> <\/p>\n

And while it remains to be seen if Scott was aware of the Summer of Dan Stevens, he sure as hell was aware of \u201cEurovision.\u201d The film. That Stevens stars in. On Netflix.<\/p>\n

And he loved Dan Stevens in it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were certain things that popped that year in terms of entertainment that we were consuming, whether it was \u2018Tiger King\u2019 or \u2018Eurovision,\u2019 that just gave people this weird release,\u201d Stevens said as he Zoomed with IndieWire from his sunny back garden late last month. \u201cFunnily enough, it led to me doing the show. I was chatting with [series producer] David Zucker about Ridley Scott, and Scott Free obviously had a huge hand in making \u2018The Terror,\u2019 and he said, \u2018Ridley brings up \u201cEurovision\u201d roughly every two weeks in a meeting. He\u2019s obsessed.’\u201d<\/p>\n

And, yes, he did mean \u201cEurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga,\u201d in which Stevens stars as Russian pop superstar Alexander Lemtov, a wildly sexy and deeply insane contestant in the annual musical competition, which was lovingly (and hilariously) dramatized into the David Dobkin film that also stars Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a huge fan and he loved Lemtov and it was like, \u2018We\u2019ve got to work with Dan Stevens, because of \u2018Eurovision.’\u201d For all of my other endeavors, it was \u2018Eurovision\u2019 that got the attention of Ridley Scott, which was amazing,\u201d Stevens said with a smile.<\/p>\n

\"Editorial\u2018Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga\u2019John Wilson\/Netflix\/Kobal\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Stevens has long been able to move between comedy and horror, so it\u2019s oddly fitting that his latest scary role, as the lead of the third season of the anthology series \u201cThe Terror,\u201d was at least partially the product of his comedic work. This iteration of the AMC series is subtitled \u201cDevil in Silver\u201d and sees author Victor LaValle adapting his 2012 novel of the same name. (LaValle also showruns, along with Christopher Cantwell.)<\/p>\n

The first modern entry in the supernatural series, this season\u2019s six episodes center on Stevens\u2019 Pepper, a hot-headed (but good-hearted) moving man who lands in a local psychiatric hospital, only to find that rumors of evil stalking its halls are not entirely the stuff of nightmares.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a big fan of anthology series in general, it\u2019s a chance for genre to find a way into television a bit more,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat was interesting with this one was the combination of classic horror tropes and more of a social realist institutional critique. You\u2019ve got this going between the metaphorical and the literal devil. There\u2019s a really complex weaving that Victor and Chris did, which is these institutions that are supposed to civilize and regulate people like Pepper who are impulsive, and you put that inside of a place that is supposed to help him, and actually it feeds that inner devil rather than addressing it. You\u2019ve got this dehumanization of the ward and it doesn\u2019t produce any reflection or growth, it just produces rage.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, yes, there is a literal devil in this one, which won\u2019t be a surprise to anyone familiar with LaValle\u2019s novel. What drew Stevens to the part and project is that the monster is tied up in very human emotions and actions. It doesn\u2019t \u201clet Pepper off the hook,\u201d he said. Just because there\u2019s something scary down the hall, that doesn\u2019t mean that being a good person doesn\u2019t matter. It matters more, actually.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a story that wants you to engage with it. It wants to keep you a little bit guessing,\u201d the actor said. \u201cIs it a literal devil? Is it a metaphorical devil? Is it both? He\u2019s surrounded by unreliable narrators. He\u2019s got this wonderful cast of inmates and staff who are also wrestling with what\u2019s going on. And ultimately, that\u2019s what draws us in, is that what is going to defeat this is care for others. Specifically for people that are more vulnerable than you, than Pepper. It\u2019s a weirdly sweet and lovely tale within a very dark one. It\u2019s not therapy, it\u2019s not medication, it\u2019s not the institution, that\u2019s going to heal. It\u2019s actually just the ancient, unglamorous work of showing up for people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"'TheDan Stevens and Judith Light in \u2018The Terror: Devil in Silver<\/a>\u2018Courtesy of Emily V. Aragones \/ AMC<\/p>\n

Monster fans, never fear, you will get some glimpses of the so-called devil in silver during the course of the show. This is, after all, a Dan Stevens joint (the man has even played a beast himself<\/a>). But bring your imagination to play.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is never actually an integrated monster,\u201d Stevens said. \u201cWhat they were very careful to do was show pieces, so we had literal pieces of this creature. Without giving too much away, when Pepper\u2019s getting kicked in the head by this monster, there\u2019s literally just this disembodied leg that we swung into frame rather than having a whole creature created. The thing I love about shooting horror and genre stuff is that, generally speaking, the activities that are taking place for the making of it versus the actual effect of watching it are so wildly different. Just being drenched in blood, having a hoof come across your skull is so much sillier hopefully than the effect that we\u2019re trying to create.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stevens also serves as a producer on the project, marking only the fourth time he\u2019s taken on that role and the first in the TV<\/a> space. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor the most part, it\u2019s adding extra willpower, which is needed for any creative endeavor. It\u2019s like, \u2018I really want to see this happen and I want to see this happen with the right people involved and I want to have a hand in that,’\u201d Stevens said of why he produces certain projects. \u201cThere\u2019s a certain responsibility to that. \u2018Executive producer\u2019 means something different every time, but I\u2019m really honored to have partnered with everybody and continuing to work with Scott Free on other shows and ideas now, which is great.\u201d <\/p>\n

He laughed. \u201cIt\u2019s probably \u2018Eurovision,\u2019 but this as well has helped to nurture a really fruitful relationship there,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Despite his bonafides in both comedy and horror, Stevens isn\u2019t too caught up in labels. He\u2019s never specifically looking for \u201ca comedy\u201d or seeking out \u201ca scary movie.\u201d It\u2019s more about the intention and the execution, something he finds more often in supposed genre packaging.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u2018The Terror: Devil in Silver\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cIncreasingly the way that comedy and horror are interweaved has become much more interesting to me,\u201d Stevens said. \u201cThose lines have become much more blurred in a really interesting way. I really enjoy bringing comedic elements to horror and horrific elements to comedy. \u2026 I\u2019ve experimented in a lot of different areas and a lot of different styles, and I want to increasingly cross-pollinate those things and take elements that I\u2019ve learned from period drama and bring them to an action thriller or whatever it is, and just play between those realms and bring those things together.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll next bring that philosophy to another TV role, as the actor was recently cast as a serial killer in the second season of \u201cDexter: Resurrection,\u201d which is shooting this spring in New York City. <\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t tell you very much at all about it because I\u2019m sworn to secrecy because \u2018Dexter\u2019 is institutionally secretive about their stuff,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I can tell you that he\u2019s called The Five Borough Killer, you can make of that what you will. It\u2019s a great fun show to step into. It\u2019s such a well-oiled machine, and it\u2019s a real privilege to step onto a set like that, with a crew who\u2019ve been doing it for so many years, a lot of the actors have been doing it so many years. We\u2019ve got Brian Cox on this season as well as Uma Thurman, and it\u2019s a great gang. Michael C. Hall is delightful. I\u2019m having great fun stalking the streets of all five boroughs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next year, Stevens will also return to the Monsterverse for the second time. His kooky vet character Trapper, who first appeared in Adam Wingard\u2019s \u201cGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire\u201d in 2024, will be back in Grant Sputore\u2019s \u201cGodzilla x Kong: Supernova.\u201d He\u2019s just fine with not being the main attraction in that one.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think people care more about Godzilla and Kong than they do about the human characters really, which is what you come to learn when you start playing these roles,\u201d the actor said. \u201cBut that said, I have had a lot of fun with Trapper. He\u2019s a great character. I was very grateful to Adam Wingard for getting me into that whole Monsterverse. Listen, if I can take Kong\u2019s tooth out or help extract something from a Titan\u2019s belly if they\u2019ve got a bit of a tummy ache, then I\u2019m happy to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GODZILLA\u2018Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire\u2019\u00a9Warner Bros\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

Also a possibility in 2027? His third film with Wingard, who he first worked with way back in 2014 for Stevens\u2019 breakthrough role in \u201cThe Guest.\u201d Little has been revealed about \u201cOnslaught,\u201d other than it takes place in a trailer park and follows a young mother trying to protect her loved ones when a \u201cthreat\u201d escapes a nearby military base.<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, it\u2019s Adam Wingard back on form, returning to a batshit action-thriller in the desert, which is where I first met him and fell in love with him,\u201d he said. \u201cThis time, Adria Arjona, who is incredible, is our lead and has done an amazing job. People are going to really enjoy what she\u2019s brought to that movie, I won\u2019t say any more than that. But my contribution is, typically, bonkers.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the interest of circling back on the Summer of Dan Stevens, I asked Stevens about his continued hopes for a) returning to Broadway (he was preparing for a role in Martin McDonagh\u2019s \u201cHangmen\u201d before the pandemic shut everything down) and b) adding \u201cdirector\u201d to his resume. <\/p>\n

Stevens doesn\u2019t demur. He is \u201cvery interested\u201d in a role on Broadway, \u201cand when the right thing comes along and when the timing is right.\u201d Back in New York City this spring for \u201cDexter,\u201d he\u2019s hoping to see some shows and \u201cget inspired.\u201d (Top of the list: Rose Byrne in \u201cFallen Angels,\u201d which I had just seen and heartily recommended.) <\/p>\n

He is also still interested in directing and, in fact, seems even closer to that goal these days. \u201cI\u2019m definitely developing some things that I hope to bring to fruition soon. I\u2019m keen not to rush into it, but when the right thing comes together,\u201d he said. \u201cIt feels like a bit of a new era will emerge. In the meantime, I\u2019m really excited to be developing stuff as a producer. Some of that stuff I might direct, some of it I won\u2019t, but we\u2019ll see. That\u2019s been a really exciting new chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a man known for doing a little about everything \u2014 \u201ccross-pollinating,\u201d in his parlance \u2014 there must still be something else he\u2019s dying to do, right? Yup, and fittingly, Stevens\u2019 big \u201cI\u2019d love to do this sort of thing\u201d dream occupies yet another classic genre space. <\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t really done a Western,\u201d he said. \u201cI would fuck with a Western. I\u2019ve definitely read some over the years, but none of them have quite grabbed me. I\u2019m waiting to find one. I love watching them and I love it as a genre, but as an Englishman, we don\u2019t often get invited to those ultra American type roles. But sometimes we do! Yeah, let\u2019s put that out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Terror: Devil in Silver\u201d premieres Thursday, May 7 on AMC+ and Shudder.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cWait, sorry, so Ridley Scott is a fan of Eurovision the annual musical event or \u2018Eurovision\u2019 the Netflix…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":468143,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[263],"tags":[88887,18,117,597,19,2810,17,327,205526,128],"class_list":{"0":"post-468142","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-dan-stevens","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-film","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-interviews","14":"tag-ireland","15":"tag-movies","16":"tag-the-terror-devil-in-silver","17":"tag-tv"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116517222854922375","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=468142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468142\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/468143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=468142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=468142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=468142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}