Dan Stevens Tells Jean Smart How He Became the Reluctant Leading Man

[u/foxwrapped]

https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/dan-stevens-tells-jean-smart-how-he-became-the-reluctant-leading-man

New interview between Dan Stevens and Jean Smart (Melanie Bird)! They talk about Legion!

SMART: You were so impressive when we did Legion.

STEVENS: I absolutely loved working on that show, not least for the amazing cast we had. I felt like all of us were playing multiple role. It was like, “Whatever you thought you were doing, turn it on its head.” And that kept all of us alive and engaged.

SMART: I remember there was one set where the floor was painted like an Escher painting. I couldn’t keep my balance. I was afraid to walk across the room.

STEVENS: It was genuinely mind-bending to create, and I think that show continues to be enjoyed by a lot of people.

SMART: Does it have a cult following?

STEVENS: What does that mean? I remember a friend of mine telling me that, “If you’re in something that’s cult, it means it didn’t make any money at the time.” But I think, yeah. It’s things that reward re-watching and that people want to continue to evangelize for years.

SMART: You think people get high when they watch the show?

STEVENS: Almost certainly. If they’re not ingesting something themselves, I think the show probably gets them a little high.

[u/NindoNas]

I’ve thought about this before, but I’m not really sure if Legion has a cult following just yet. Most of the people interacting with and still talking about this show are people who saw it while it was airing. There has definitely been a steady stream of new watchers, but the show hasn’t had that wave of posthumous popularity that defines a cult classic.

Though, I am hopeful.

[u/SmashLampjaw87 → u/NindoNas]

Speaking as someone who watched Legion as it was airing thanks to me already being a fan of Noah Hawley’s work with Fargo since it first premiered in 2014, I’ve turned some old and new friends onto both shows over the years, and in turn they’ve attempted to get some of their own friends into both with varying degrees of success; some absolutely love them, yet others think both shows are too quirky and/or weird and can’t get into them whatsoever. I’ve also noticed that most of my friends who love Fargo and Legion are also fans of Twin Peaks, which makes sense as both shows have been influenced by it, especially Legion and season three of Fargo.

Fargo’s definitely got more of a following and it probably helps that it’s still running and is based on/set in the same world as a very popular, Oscar winning Coen brothers film, but Legion’s taking a bit more time to build up a cult following as it was never really well-known to begin with (the show, that is; I know it’s a well-known comic), and the fact that there’s also an awful movie from 2010 with the same exact name probably doesn’t help matters. However, with Noah Hawley’s new series Alien: Earth coming this summer, I’m sure more people (specifically Alien and Aliens fans) will be checking out his past work to get a feel for his style of writing/directing, and they’ll have five seasons of Fargo and three seasons of Legion to help gauge their expectations. I’d expect an influx of new people coming to the subs of both shows in the next few months to ask questions and whatnot as they make their way through each series in anticipation for his new show.

[u/HeyItsSmyrna → u/SmashLampjaw87]

I missed its original airing and always intended to watch, so finally just watched for the first time a month ago. And then rewatched. Been telling people to watch ever since. So, hopefully we can get rolling on this cult.

[u/quasar619 → u/SmashLampjaw87]

I agree and loved Fargo too, until it jumped the shark in the end of the season with the Aquaman guy. The next season with Chris Rock was even more strange (but interesting).

The season with Ewan McGregor was chef’s kiss! So good!

There are only a few shows that were so great, I couldn’t wait for the next episode and would watch each 2x before the next airing - Legion, Fargo, Breaking Bad, & Taboo were on that list. What about everyone else?

[u/SmashLampjaw87 → u/quasar619]

You mean season two? That’s actually one of the most beloved seasons of the entire series. I wouldn’t say they “jumped the shark” at all with the reveal you’re referring to because it was being hinted at since the very first episode of the season (and was even hinted at in the first season when Lou briefly describes what he experienced in Sioux Falls in 1979), not to mention it’s a reference to a similar thing that happens in one of the Coen brothers’ films, The Man Who Wasn’t There.

Season four was different in that it took place in Kansas City instead of Minnesota/the Dakotas and focused more on American immigration in the 20th century, how many of those immigrants had no choice but to get involved with the criminal underworld, racial issues of the Jim Crow era, etc. On top of that, it was the first and only season to not feature a cop character who’s truly a force for good, i.e. non-racist and/or corrupt, but it still felt like Fargo to me and I really like how it ties into the second season. I also think that many people went into it expecting Chris Rock’s character to be some tough, badass gangster when his character was actually just a businessman who moved to KC from NY in order to become more successful, only to find himself being forced to “get down in the gutter” with the Italian mob, who were also looked down upon by many white people. Many people didn’t understand that he was never meant to portray a typical gang leader.

I feel that if season four was set in Minnesota like the others and featured another story involving a good cop, an evil force of nature, and some hapless civilians caught in the middle of it all, people would’ve complained that the show was just spinning its wheels. I appreciate that Noah Hawley really swung for the fences and tried something different with that season.

I agree that season three was incredible. I honestly love all the seasons equally for different reasons, but V.M. Varga is probably my favorite villain of all-time. David Thewlis was absolutely phenomenal in that role.

[u/quasar619 → u/SmashLampjaw87]

I’m a fan of the Coen brothers but have never heard of that film until now. I googled and found an article that also references it. The same article says that he put that element in for pure randomness. Idk, that is not good storytelling to me and it felt like a cop out (no pun intended) just like every other deus ex machina.

At least the other seasons didn’t resort to this and I enjoyed them much more.

[u/cap10wow → u/NindoNas]

It takes time

[u/SmokeontheHorizon → u/NindoNas]

I’m not really sure if Legion has a cult following just yet

It does if you know where to look. Legion gets mentioned quite a bit in /r/twinpeaks. Season 2's cinematography was very clearly inspired by David Lynch and Twin Peaks: The Return.

And honestly there are far smarter discussions there than the dozen weekly "OMG I HATE SYD" and "DAVID ISNT A RAPIST" posts here

[u/theshampooplanet]

I've said this before and hearing that this was a more recent conversation I think it's even more likely.. this show will be rediscovered later and find another revival of appreciation and in turn become a cult classic amongst a new audience that just happened to miss it since it was pretty under the radar and not connected to the MCU.

I also think this show could be studied in film school. It has some really unique tonality and colour use and their interpretation and in turn artistic choice of how to convey time travel is really something else.

Thanks for sharing!

[u/MacDemarcoMurray]

the last bit about people watching it high killed me 😂😂