Dan Stevens Says His Exit From 'Downton Abbey' Was an 'Emotional Experience'

Jan. 19, 2014 -- Last season, "Downton Abbey" fans were devastated when Dan Stevens decided to leave the show. Perhaps more upsetting? When his character, Matthew Crawley, died.

Though Stevens, 31, admitted that the decision was "tough," the actor, who's now starring in the film "Summer in February" alongside Dominic Cooper and Emily Browning, told ABC News that he still watches the series.

"It was great to see them all [on TV] on Sunday, a quite emotional experience and quite strange to see [them] deal with my death," he said, with a laugh. "But no, it was great and I'm really looking forward to seeing the rest of the series."

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Stevens added that he's also kept in touch with all of his former co-stars, particularly with Michelle Dockery, who played his love interest, Lady Mary, on the show.

"We all became very close… it was quite an experience we all went through," he said. "It sort of blew up in an unexpected way and brought us pretty close together. No one else will ever quite understand what that was like so we'll always be close."

However, now he's got other things to focus on. Not only did his film "The Guest" just premiere at Sundance, but "Summer in February," a project he shot a few years ago, just made its way to theaters. (It's available on VOD too.)

"It was a special project," he said. "It's a true story but it was turned into a novel by an old teacher of mine who directed me in a number of school plays and became a real mentor."

Dan Stevens Talks 'Downton' Exit

But Stevens, who starred on Broadway last year, is already in the throes of new projects. Now, he's adjusting to life as a New Yorker, having moved his family to the Big Apple from London for work.

"I've always wanted to live in New York," he said, adding that he is planning a trip to London at the end of the month to shoot "Night at the Museum 3." "[But] I miss my friends and I have to say I miss Indian food. I was raised on curry, so whenever I go to London, that's the first thing I do."