Go ‘Cuckoo’ for prior roles of Dan Stevens

English actor Dan Stevens has proven himself to be quite the chameleon in the years since his breakout role as Matthew Crawley on the popular series “Downton Abbey.” While his character was the typical English romantic hero on the show, the choices he’s made since his character departed Downton have been refreshingly different and always somewhat unpredictable, but always entertaining. With his new horror film “Cuckoo” opening in theaters, here are some of Stevens’ most interesting performances, available to stream now.

In the wake of “Downton Abbey” (streaming on Prime Video), Stevens appeared in several different films, but his 2014 film “The Guest,” suggested the new direction he was interested in going in. Directed by Adam Wingard, “The Guest” featured Stevens as a mysterious interloper, a former Army sergeant who insinuates himself with his best friend’s family. This gnarly thriller showed a new direction for Stevens, who often plays with more villainous roles and excels in genre films. Rent “The Guest” on all digital platforms.

Stevens would later reunite with Wingard on “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” the 2024 film in which he plays a large-animal veterinarian who journeys into the center of the Earth with the rest of the Kong team. This somewhat silly monster mash sees Wingard in his ’80s fantasy mode, while Stevens is a comedic standout, demonstrating how the actor with leading man looks often wants to play supporting character roles. Stream it on Max.

He had a similar turn in the 2024 vampire gore-fest “Abigail,” directed by the Radio Silence filmmaking team, playing a callous hitman type whose team realizes they’re in over their heads with their recent kidnapping charge, a young tween girl. Once again, Stevens steals the show (or holds it all together). Stream “Abigail” on Peacock.

In “Cuckoo,” set in Germany, Stevens gets to demonstrate a bit of his fluency in German, though real Stevens fans will already know that he already proved his capabilities in the 2021 German-language film “I’m Your Man,” directed by Maria Schrader. Stevens often uses his traditional handsomeness and piercing blue eyes to play with expectation or utilize it for different kinds of roles. Here, he plays a “perfect man” robot, who is trained to become an ideal lover for his client. The film explores the different modes of love in quite touching and unexpectedly moving ways, and Stevens’ performance is the fulcrum of the emotional arc. Stream it on Hulu, Kanopy or rent it elsewhere.

There’s also his memorable turn in the 2020 comedy “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga,” playing the Russian Eurovision contestant Alexander Lemtov, the foil to Will Ferrell’s character Lars, and a love interest for Rachel McAdams’ character Sigrit. Stevens demonstrated his comedy — and singing — chops. Stream “Eurovision Song Contest” on Netflix.

He also appeared in the pilot episode of the 2022 Hulu series “Welcome to Chippendales,” playing the notorious nightclub promoter Paul Snider. Though he only appeared in one episode, Stevens delivered an unforgettable performance that nearly outshined the rest of the series. Stream “Welcome to Chippendales” on Hulu.

There are many more iconic Stevens roles from his turn on the FX series “Legion,” (on Hulu) to indie films like “Her Smell” (Prime Video, Kanopy, Tubi) and “Lucy in the Sky” (for rent), but these are just a few of his best to get you started on the incredible range of this actor.