The Heiress' Dan Stevens on Showing His 'Silly' Side in Vamps & Joining Alicia Silverstone in the Broadway Neighborhood

No one has a knack for playing heartthrobs of yesteryear quite like Dan Stevens. The early 20th century-set drama Downton Abbey made him an international celebrity, and now, he’s making his Broadway debut as 19th-century swooner Morris Townsend in The Heiress. His next role, however, doesn’t quite fit in with his previous period pieces: Stevens is starring as Joey Van Helsing in Amy Heckerling’s Vamps, a modern-day horror comedy about, you guessed it, sexy young vampires in New York City.

“It was a great fun project,” Stevens told Broadway.com of the new film, also starring Krysten Ritter, Alicia Silverstone and Wallace Shawn. “I’ve been a big fan of Amy Heckerling for years. She came to London and saw me in something years ago, and we kept in touch. Vamp came along, and I was really delighted to be a part of it. It’s a fun piece, and I really hope people enjoy it,” he said, adding, “It’s kind of silly, but it’s fun.”

In Vamps, Stevens falls in love with Stacy (Ritter), a socialite vampire who hopes Joey’s unfortunate last name—Van Helsing—is just a coincidence. Surprise! It’s not. Stacy and her best friend Goody (Silverstone) soon find themselves face-to-face with Joey’s father (Shawn), a vampire hunter with the Department of Homeland Security. The film was shot in Detroit in 2010, but Stevens is planning a New York City reunion with one of his co-stars during his Heiress run.

“Not only am I going to see Alicia Silverstone, we’re gonna be neighbors, in fact,” Stevens said. “She’s right across the street from us, so we’ll catch each other at some point, I’m sure.” Silverstone begins performances in The Performers on October 23 at Broadway’s Longacre Theatre.

Click below to see Stevens and Silverstone in the trailer for Vamps, in theaters November 2! Check back on Broadway.com for a full interview with Stevens on October 29.