Dan Stevens' Look In Abigail Was Inspired By I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson
"I would say 90% of our text chain with Dan Stevens is just 'I Think You Should Leave' references and memes," estimates Tyler Gillett, co-director (with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin) of the upcoming ballerina vampire movie "Abigail." And it didn't just stay in the text chain. Stevens himself says that on set, "When we weren't shooting gory scenes, we were just generally quoting 'I Think You Should Leave.'"
The obsession with the bizarre, mind-warping Netflix comedy series was so deeply ingrained that even the look for Stevens' character, Frank, was formed around a certain sketch from "I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson." Frank is tasked with overseeing a heist crew who have been hired to kidnap the daughter of a very wealthy man and hold her to ransom. He's not there to make friends, and he's not a very nice person. He is, you might say, a piece of s**t. His outfit was the result of Stevens, the directors, and costume designer Gwen Jeffares-Hourie doing a day out shopping in Dublin to see what they could pull together. But for the overall look, "We took particular inspiration from 'I Think You Should Leave,' you know, the slicked-back hair," Stevens reveals, laughing. "That definitely stayed in there."
Frank certainly looks like he belongs in the Dangerous Nights crew. With his earring, exposed chest hair, silver chain, designer stubble, and — of course — slicked-back hair, this is a man who could really go to town on a sloppy steak at Truffoni's.
Slicked-back hair, white bathing suit, sloppy steaks, white couch
This isn't the first time that Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett have included a nod to "I Think You Should Leave" in one of their movies. Tim Robinson, the star and co-creator of the show, has a small voice cameo in "Scream VI" as the off-screen boyfriend of Quinn (Liana Liberato). Gillett admits that meeting Robinson on that movie was "a starstruck moment [...] We have so many awkward selfies where we're just, like, fanboying out with him. He's truly incredible."
The collective obsession with "ITYSL" meant that Stevens immediately bonded with the directors when he came out to Dublin to start work on "Abigail." Gillett remembers, "We kind of bro'd out about that show and it was like, alright, we're all kindred spirits."
Based on the new trailer for "Abigail," it doesn't look like everyone will be getting out of the house alive. But if Frank does survive his encounter with the vampire, perhaps he'll make better choices in the future. People can change.
"Abigail" arrives in theaters on April 19, 2024. Tickets are on sale now.