Dan Stevens Was in a Period Piece Television Series, Just Not the One You’re Thinking Of

So, you are wondering what period piece you knew Dan Stevens from. I have to respect the love for Stevens that is going around, but as someone who has loved him since 2010, it quite literally could not be me. Still, you want to know if he is in Bridgerton.

While it would be very fun to see Stevens in Bridgerton, that is not the period piece that you know him from. But, for many of us, the show that his big break could be attributed to is a period television show! I am talking, of course, about Downton Abbey. Remember the Crawley family and all of their drama that we used to be obsessed with?

The Julian Fellows series introduced us to Matthew Crawley (Stevens), the distant cousin of the family and the man who was to take over Downton Abbey after Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville) passed away. Matthew, who would be a love interest for Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery), was charming and a man of little means, and the extravagant nature of Downton Abbey was a lot for him to take on.

It was, for the most part, Dan Stevens in his most normal role. Now, I loved Matthew. I thought he was the romance that the show needed, so when Stevens left in season 3, we were left devastated. In an interview with The Guardian, Stevens talked about why he left the series.

“There were definitely creative itches left unscratched, genres I hadn’t worked in. Three years were up, that’s what we’d initially signed up for, and the appetite to explore further was too great … It’s not something I expect people to readily understand,” Stevens said. “Some admire it, others think I was mad: that the part was the greatest thing that could ever happen to me … But the question is what would satisfy you? A bit more money and the same thing for another decade, or the great unknown. The wild west. An open playing field of potential.”

He has gone on to star in shows like Legion, have an amazing movie career with films like The Guest, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and most recently Abigail. But to answer the question: No, Dan Stevens is not in Bridgerton. Never say never, though?

(featured image: PBS)