In 2020's Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, Will Ferrell's Lars goes up against
Russian singing rival Alexander Lemtov while competing for both the contest's top award,
as well as the affections of Sigrit, played by Rachel McAdams.
Lemtov is everything he's not: suave, well-liked, and extremely rich.
And not only that, he's got the manliest backup dancers this side of Moscow.
"Let's get together, I'm a lion lover and I hunt for love…."
But who is Lemtov, really?
Why, none other than Dan Stevens, an actor who should look very familiar to X-Men fans,
Disney diehards, and PBS viewers.
Over the past 20 years, Stevens has established himself as one of the most talented and interesting
actors in the industry.
You've probably seen Stevens before.
If not, you've almost certainly heard his voice.
Either way, Dan Stevens is a name you definitely should know.
At the beginning of Apostle, Thomas Richardson - played by none other than Dan Stevens - heads
to a remote Welsh island with one mission: to infiltrate the group that lives there and
rescue his kidnapped sister Jennifer, assuming she's even still alive.
That's easier said than done, because the island is home to a nefarious cult, blood
sacrifices, and imprisoned gods.
It's not long before Thomas is caught up in all the horror.
Apostle is a creepy little thriller, and it all hinges on a riveting performance by its
leading man.
This 2018 flick is a must-watch for anyone looking to get into Dan Stevens' filmography.
If you've watched Apostle, you probably noticed that Stevens looks pretty comfortable in period
garb.
Others have picked up on that, too.
In the mid 2000s, when Stevens was still an up-and-comer, he mainly appeared in historical
dramas, biopics, and adaptations of classic literature.
He had a small role in the Hallmark Channel's Frankenstein and a part in the BBC's Dracula,
as well as bigger roles in TV adaptations of Sense and Sensibility and The Turn of the
Screw, among others.
All of that time in fancy outfits served Stevens well, because in 2010 he landed a role on
the ITV and PBS period drama Downton Abbey, catapulting him to international renown.
For the first three seasons, Stevens was at the center of the action.
As Matthew Crawley, unexpected heir to the Downton estate and the show's de facto romantic
lead, Stevens charmed audiences as Matthew struck up a relationship with Lady Mary, fought
in World War I, and overcame a number of personal tragedies.
He also broke the world's heart after Downton Abbey's third season, when Stevens' contract
expired and he decided to leave the show to pursue other opportunities.
He's still apologizing to traumatized fans for Matthew's shocking fate.
Thankfully, Matthew's death didn't kill Stevens' career.
If anything, it was just getting started.
"But you survived."
“Only my body, and barely that."
Dan Stevens leveraged his post-Downton fame into roles on Broadway and a critically acclaimed
turn in horror-thriller The Guest.
This underrated gem saw Stevens take the lead as a seemingly mild-mannered soldier who shows
up at the family home of his deceased squadmate, only for death and mayhem to follow.
He also appeared in bigger blockbusters like Night at the Museum: The Secret of the Tomb.
But his biggest role of 2017 was playing the Beast himself in Disney's live-action adaptation
of Beauty and the Beast.
Outside of a few sequences in which Stevens gets to show his face, the Beast is a computer-generated
creation, but that doesn't mean that Stevens wasn't on set every day.
In order to bring the Beast to life, Stevens lumbered around set in a 40-pound motion capture
suit, using stilts to achieve beast-like height.
He recorded every scene twice, once to get the full-body performance, and again to capture
his facial expressions.
Of course, Beast's voice is all Stevens, and it's no wonder that he pulled it off so well.
The actor has narrated over 30 audiobooks and dabbles in voice acting, like his supporting
role in the animated series Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts.
"If there's a human out there, I want him dancing for me by dawn."
At any rate, bringing Beast into live action was a lot of work, but it was worth it: The
movie broke all kinds of records on release, crossed the $1 billion threshold at the box
office, and made Dan Stevens into a legit movie star.
Dan Stevens' other big 2017 project couldn't have been more different.
At the same time that the actor was courting a Disney princess on the big screen, he was
also appearing in the first season of FX's Legion, in which he had the lead role.
On Legion, Stevens played David Haller, a disturbed young man who just happened to be
one of the most powerful mutants in the world.
Legion might have comic book roots, but it's definitely not for kids.
Using superhero tropes as a metaphor, the series explores weighty topics like mental
illness, sexual assault, and drug and alcohol addiction, to name a few.
On top of that, the entire thing is told from David's unreliable point of view, giving it
a surreal, psychedelic vibe.
Legion isn't a traditional TV show.
Every episode is a deconstruction of the superhero genre, a fantastically weird psychodrama,
and a puzzle-like mind game rolled into one.
The whole thing would've likely fallen apart if it weren't for Stevens' finely tuned performance.
Legion ended after its third season, but Stevens got along well enough with Legion creator
Noah Hawley that he also appeared in Hawley's feature film directing debut, the astronaut
drama Lucy in the Sky, alongside Natalie Portman and Jon Hamm.
No matter what projects he takes on, one thing's for sure: Dan Stevens is not content to repeat
himself.
His recent output is all over the place.
The Call of the Wild is another family-friendly Disney adventure, but in it Stevens plays
the villain, not the hunky lead.
The Man Who Invented Christmas, in which Stevens portrays author Charles Dickens, is a biopic.
Her Smell is an experimental rock n' roll expose, while Kill Switch is a hard sci-fi
thriller full of parallel Earths and experiments gone awry.
Another one of Stevens' upcoming projects shows similar range.
Blithe Spirit is an adaptation of a 1941 stage play.
If you only know Stevens from Eurovision, watch out.
This actor's a hit.
Pretty soon, the guy's going to be everywhere.
"Why are you laughing, I'm trying to have a fist fight with you!"
"You hit me but it's very light.
It's almost relaxing!"
Thanks for watching.
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