Dan Stevens’ Latest Horror Role? You Can Thank Ridley Scott and His Love of ‘Eurovision’ for It

the actor has long enjoyed working in both horror and comedy spaces, but it was his turn in the daffy Netflix musical send-up that juiced up producer Ridley Scott to cast him as the lead in the latest season of “The Terror.”

According to the CinemaDrame News Agency, when it comes to the shape-shifting Dan Stevens, there is always a new layer to uncover. In a recent conversation with IndieWire from his sunny back garden, the actor revealed a surprising detail behind his casting in the latest season of the horror anthology The Terror.

While Stevens has navigated both comedy and horror for years, it was his performance in the “daffy” Netflix musical Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga that caught the eye of legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott. According to series producer David Zucker, Scott—whose company Scott Free produces the series—is “obsessed” with the film, bringing it up roughly every two weeks in meetings.

“He’s a huge fan and he loved Lemtov,” Stevens said with a smile, referring to his role as the wildly sexy and eccentric Russian pop star Alexander Lemtov. “For all of my other endeavors, it was ‘Eurovision’ that got the attention of Ridley Scott, which was amazing. It was like, ‘We’ve got to work with Dan Stevens, because of Eurovision.’”

This unexpected endorsement led to Stevens leading the third installment of the acclaimed series, titled The Terror: Devil in Silver. Based on the novel by Victor LaValle, the six-episode season features Stevens as a man wrongfully committed to a psychiatric hospital where he must face both systemic cruelty and supernatural dread.

The Terror: Devil in Silver premieres Thursday, May 7, 2026, on AMC+ and Shudder.

Stevens has long been able to move between comedy and horror, so it’s oddly fitting that his latest scary role, as the lead of the third season of the anthology series “The Terror,” was at least partially the product of his comedic work. This iteration of the AMC series is subtitled “Devil in Silver” and sees author Victor LaValle adapting his 2012 novel of the same name. (LaValle also showruns, along with Christopher Cantwell.)

The first modern entry in the supernatural series, this season’s six episodes center on Stevens’ 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.

“I’m a big fan of anthology series in general, it’s a chance for genre to find a way into television a bit more,” he said. “What was interesting with this one was the combination of classic horror tropes and more of a social realist institutional critique. You’ve got this going between the metaphorical and the literal devil. There’s 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’ve got this dehumanization of the ward and it doesn’t produce any reflection or growth, it just produces rage.”

And, yes, there is a literal devil in this one, which won’t be a surprise to anyone familiar with LaValle’s novel. What drew Stevens to the part and project is that the monster is tied up in very human emotions and actions. It doesn’t “let Pepper off the hook,” he said. Just because there’s something scary down the hall, that doesn’t mean that being a good person doesn’t matter. It matters more, actually.

“It’s a story that wants you to engage with it. It wants to keep you a little bit guessing,” the actor said. “Is it a literal devil? Is it a metaphorical devil? Is it both? He’s surrounded by unreliable narrators. He’s got this wonderful cast of inmates and staff who are also wrestling with what’s going on. And ultimately, that’s 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’s a weirdly sweet and lovely tale within a very dark one. It’s not therapy, it’s not medication, it’s not the institution, that’s going to heal. It’s actually just the ancient, unglamorous work of showing up for people.”

monster fans need not fear: glimpses of the so-called “devil in silver” will appear throughout the show. This is, after all, a Dan Stevens project (a man who has played a beast himself), but he encourages the audience to bring their imagination to play.

“There is never actually an integrated monster,” Stevens said. “What they were very careful to do was show pieces, so we had literal pieces of this creature. Without giving too much away, when Pepper’s getting kicked in the head by this monster, there’s 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’re trying to create.”

Stevens also serves as a producer on the project, marking only the fourth time he’s taken on that role and his first in the TV space.

“For the most part, it’s adding extra willpower, which is needed for any creative endeavor. It’s like, ‘I 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,’” Stevens said of why he produces certain projects. “There’s a certain responsibility to that. ‘Executive producer’ means something different every time, but I’m really honored to have partnered with everybody and continuing to work with Scott Free on other shows and ideas now, which is great.”

He laughed. “It’s probably ‘Eurovision,’ but this as well has helped to nurture a really fruitful relationship there,” he added.

Despite his bonafides in both comedy and horror, Stevens isn’t too caught up in labels. He’s never specifically looking for “a comedy” or seeking out “a scary movie.” It’s more about the intention and the execution, something he finds more often in supposed genre packaging.

Dan Stevens is increasingly drawn to the blurring lines between genres. “I really enjoy bringing comedic elements to horror and horrific elements to comedy,” Stevens said. “I want to increasingly cross-pollinate those things and take elements that I’ve learned from period drama and bring them to an action thriller… and just play between those realms.”

He will next apply this philosophy to the small screen, having been cast as a serial killer in the second season of “Dexter: Resurrection,” which is currently filming in New York City.

“I’m sworn to secrecy because ‘Dexter’ is institutionally secretive,” he noted. “But I can tell you that he’s called The Five Borough Killer. It’s a great fun show to step into. We’ve got Brian Cox on this season as well as Uma Thurman, and it’s a great gang. Michael C. Hall is delightful. I’m having great fun stalking the streets of all five boroughs.”

Next year, Stevens will also return to the Monsterverse for the second time. His kooky vet character, Trapper, will return in Grant Sputore’s “Godzilla x Kong: Supernova.” Stevens is perfectly content with the Titans taking center stage.

“I think people care more about Godzilla and Kong than they do about the human characters really,” the actor admitted. “But that said, I have had a lot of fun with Trapper. Listen, if I can take Kong’s tooth out or help extract something from a Titan’s belly if they’ve got a bit of a tummy ache, then I’m happy to do that.”

Dan Stevens is constantly looking for new ways to “cross-pollinate” genres, moving seamlessly between horror, comedy, and action. While he is currently filming the second season of “Dexter: Resurrection” as the “Five Borough Killer” and preparing for his return to the Monsterverse in “Godzilla x Kong: Supernova,” the actor still has one major genre left on his bucket list.

“I haven’t really done a Western,” Stevens revealed. “I would fuck with a Western. I’ve definitely read some over the years, but none of them have quite grabbed me. I’m waiting to find one. I love watching them and I love it as a genre, but as an Englishman, we don’t often get invited to those ultra-American type roles. But sometimes we do! Yeah, let’s put that out there.”

Beyond acting, Stevens is embracing a new chapter as a producer, notably on the upcoming season of The Terror, and expresses a strong interest in eventually directing. He is also eyeing a return to Broadway when the timing and role align. In the near future, fans can also expect his “typically bonkers” contribution to Adam Wingard’s 2027 action-thriller “Onslaught,” starring Adria Arjona.

“The Terror: Devil in Silver” premieres Thursday, May 7, 2026, on AMC+ and Shudder.