‘Downton Abbey’ Star Dan Stevens Is Sorry For Ruining Christmas For Series Fans

It’s been five years since the death of Matthew Crawley that left Downton Abbey fans crushed, but the actor who left Downton prematurely says he is still apologizing, primarily to the United Kingdom fans of Downton Abbey. The episode that had Lady Mary giving birth to her first child and cousin Matthew dying in a car crash debuted on ITV as the 2012 Downton Abbey Christmas special. It was bad enough when that episode aired in the United States in the spring of 2013, but Stevens was blamed by many for “ruining Christmas” for millions of British Downton Abbey fans.

In over six seasons, Downton Abbey became more than a fan favorite, it became a fan obsession and a place known as a second family for the cast. On the day of the final Downton Abbey series wrap, Jim Carter, who played the stern head butler Carson, said that he had a hard time stopping his own tears from flowing.

“I thought I would say goodbye to the crew who work so hard. Seeing their faces sobbing, it just did me in. We were puddles.”

Carter explained that he thought that Downton Abbey would finally redeem itself on Christmas, which was when the U.K. would see the final episode which was a decidedly upbeat Downton Abbey series finale.

“It is really satisfying. You will need two hankies on Christmas night.”

But it was that Downton Abbey Season 3 Christmas special that still stings fans of the ITV/PBS series, and Dan Stevens is sorry. Fans remember cousin Matthew Crawley (Stevens) driving his sports car, smiling, as his wife, Lady Mary has just given birth to their first child when he loses control and dies in a car crash. Merry Christmas, Downton Abbey fans!

And even five years later, Stevens is still apologizing to the Downton Abbey faithful, and he’s sorry if it was a Christmas to remember for Downton Abbey fans, and not in a good way according to Digital Spy.

“The way Matthew went was out of my hands – but it was rather shocking. There were some very upset people and I’ve had to apologize to a lot of people over the past four years. But I take it as a compliment that Matthew was so loved on the show.”

Sure, Dan Stevens has worked since Downton Abbey, on stage, and most notably opposite Emma Watson in the live-action Beauty and the Beast, but he will always be known as the guy who bummed out a lot of people on Downton Abbey by dying on Christmas.

“I’ve done a lot since then though – so hopefully people are seeing what I have been up to and are beginning to understand why I wanted to move on.”

According to The Irish Times, Dan Stevens will always be known as the man who ruined Christmas after his sudden Downton Abbey death. That night there was no keeping Stevens’ character Cousin Matthew’s death from American viewers after Twitter blew up that night back in 2012, leaving many Downton Abbey fans despondent.

“WOW DOWNTON ABBEY SO MAD SO UPSET WHAT IS LIFE ANYMORE. WHAT’S THE PURPOSE ANYMORE.”

But Dan Stevens is now trying to put those Downton Abbey Christmas memories behind him and replace them with a new Christmas related role, playing Charles Dickens in The Man Who Invented Christmas. The new film examines the writer Charles Dickens as he encounters the real-life inspiration behind Ebenezer Scrooge which spurred him to write A Christmas Carol.

Dan Stevens says he liked this story about Dickens because it is a slice out of his life.

“I like that this is a portrait of Dickens at a very particular moment in his life. He had four kids and another on the way. He had mounting debts. He was working too hard. And he drove himself a bit mad really, trying to write the ultimate literary hit.”

[Featured Image by Chris Pizzello/AP Images]