Dan Stevens Reveals Why He Wanted to Walk the 'Hellish' Hallways of AMC+'s The Terror: Devil in Silver

Dan Stevens didn't plan on being the new king of the horror genre, but AMC+'s The Terror: Devil in Silver is exactly why he's happy to be here.

In recent years, Stevens, first known as Downton Abbey's soft-spoken Matthew Crawley, has taken a sharp career turn toward horror of all shades and scares, from grisly comedy (Abigail) to religious terror (Apostle, The Ritual) to biting paranoia (Cuckoo, The Rental) to serial killer spectacular (his upcoming role as the Five Borough Killer in Dexter: Resurrection). But with Devil in Silver, Stevens says he was intrigued by how author and co-showrunner Victor LaValle's novel on which it is based used the jump-scare genre to probe something much more terrifying — the harsh truths of the real world.

"The whole thing is set within this hellish landscape of the American healthcare system," Stevens tells TV Guide. "It gets at the way that we deal with mental illness and people who are, let's say, sort of undesirable or inconvenient to society and the way that the whole system is rigged against actually helping these people. There is a great deal of social commentary and critique baked into what is also a rip-roaring, entertaining horror story."

ALSO READ: The Terror: Devil in Silver review: An intense performance from Dan Stevens electrifies AMC's anthology

Stevens plays Pepper, a reckless musician who becomes the latest patient at and possible victim of New Hyde Psychiatric Hospital, where his volatility and short fuse make him something to be subdued and sedated. At New Hyde, everyone can hear you scream, but will they care enough to come running? That's what plagues the patients housed in a secure unit that plays host to their personal demons and the literal one who is killing their fellow residents.

New Hyde's patients include the quiet but insightful Coffee (Chinanza Uche), the young hot-head Loochie (b), and the institution's institutional knowledge Dorry (Judith Light), the longest serving resident whose ties to the threat that festers in the walls will come to light. Trying to manage the chaos is Miss Chris (CCH Pounder), an empathetic but firm-handed manager who tries to balance personal touch with practical need in controlling occasionally unpredictable personalities.

Stevens says the six-episode series is about watching as Pepper tries to find a center in a confined place that warps reality to keep people in line. But as viewers will learn in the opening moments of the series, Pepper has never known how to stay still or stay silent.

"A lot of stories like this often have the innocent victim who is trapped in this hell, but Pepper is not innocent," Stevens says. "He's not without his demons, he's not without blame. There's kind of a super demon that is surrounding him, but you also have this unexamined male who, alongside the journey of battling a literal and figurative monster, has to learn about showing up for people and learn to care for his son. He's been avoidant and impulsively aggressive as a way of dealing with his problems rather than doing the work, as we like to say these days. He's a much more complex character than just the innocent victim in this institution."

Contributing to his poor state of mind is that this live wire is now confined to a bleak, grayscaled box that doesn't feed him creatively or let him run from his problems. It's a metaphorical sandbox Stevens already got some experience playing in as the lead of FX's X-Men-adjacent, psychiatric ward-set Legion from 2017-2019.

"Pepper's whole reality is turned upside down," Stevens says. "That's why stories that are set within an institution are so convenient, whether it's a prison drama or a psychiatric ward or a hospital. There is a claustrophobia to it that I like, and it is kind of maddening that Pepper ended up here in the first place. So watching him fight his way out is a great journey, as is watching all of these other characters who are either fighting their way out too or they're resigned to the way that the system is rigged against them."

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Devil in Silver also marks Stevens' first TV credit as an executive producer, meaning he wasn't just helping pull Pepper from the pages of LaValle's book. One of the more surreal jobs was deciding how to best represent Pepper's rock-star roots, best evidenced by his rotating wardrobe of band shirts. The character played in a fictional band named Rhino, the logo for which was created by a comic book artist friend of co-showrunner Chris Cantwell. But for the real legends in the genre, they needed express permission to wear their logos in the halls of New Hyde.

"It was funny having these conversations, especially being an executive producer on this," Stevens says with a laugh. "You get calls like, 'We haven't managed to get hold of Iron Maiden yet.' Or I would have to ask things like, 'Has anyone got hold of Def Leppard yet?' Just trying to get to these rock bands who are just like on tour somewhere in Europe was funny. But a huge thanks to Maiden for giving us permission."

If nothing else, Pepper has the comfort of his idols as he stares down his stay at New Hyde.

The Terror: Devil in Silver airs new episodes weekly, starting May 7 on AMC+ and Shudder.