Downton Abbey's Matthew Crawley, somewhat known for his portrayal of British actor Dan Stevens in a tedious, long-term project known as everyday life, surfaced recently looking way different than he once did, and people could not believe it. He used to look the one way and now he looks very much another. How had it happened, and why, and could it be undone?

(If you're still waiting to watch the Season 3 Downton Abbey finale, don't read this post or any other Downton Abbey post.)

The new Matthew Crawley was noticeably thinner than he had ever been, even during wartime, which was difficult for all of us here at Downton Abbey, where we all live. His hair was dark and spiky, like a puffer fish at midnight. He had some scraggly facial scruff that made him look like a Sunglass Hut model.

It was all just different!

British tabloids immediately began speculating about just what had happened to poor Matthew Crawley (a parasite? An evil secret gnawing at him from within?), who, it must be said, looked more alive when he died at the end of last season than he does now. In the end, the papers' consensus was: "Hollywood Makeover." Indeed, he did now resemble a part-time actor waiting tables in West Hollywood; a "background artist" on Vanderpump Rules.

But why has he done this to himself?

Since allowing his Downton Abbey contract to expire, Stevens has begun accepting roles that take him further and further away from his home, where he lives, where we're all waiting for him: Downton Abbey.

He recently appeared thousands of miles from our home, on Broadway, opposite actress Jessica Chastain in The Heiress. In his upcoming film, A Walk Among the Tombstones, Stevens portrays a heroin trafficker who has never been to Downton Abbey.

But maybe it's not too late for rewrites?

[Image via Getty]