There Was No One Else Better Suited to Play Carl on Quibi's 'The Stranger'

If you have ever convinced yourself not to get into an Uber or Lyft alone because you were afraid the driver would turn out to be a nefarious character, then you haven't seen The Stranger on Quibi. In the short-form thriller, it's the rideshare passenger who is the killer and he spends the majority of the first season chasing after the driver who had just happened to pick him up. But if it weren't for the actor who plays the killer, Carl, on The Stranger, it probably wouldn't work out so well.

The actor behind the character, Dane DeHaan, manages to blend creepy with false sincerity in a way that not many other actors can get away with. He's also slightly familiar, but less of an A-lister than stars of some other Quibi shows and in this case, that's a good thing. Even if you vaguely recognize the actor from something else, you can more easily slip into a certain mode while watching The Stranger and getting totally immersed in the thriller.

In the show, Carol is a psychopathic killer with murder on his mind. He is also all about the hunt and as the episodes unfold in the show’s first season, viewers will see how maniacal he is. In real life, Dane has taken on similarly jarring roles. Before this, he was in Chronicle, A Cure for Wellness, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and he also had a more mellow but equally as impactful role in The Place Beyond the Pines.

Outside of acting, Dane is a dedicated husband and father. His Instagram is full of photos of himself with his wife, actress Anna Wood, and their daughter. They also have another baby on the way, so suffice it to say, Dane is plenty busy when he’s not taking on layered roles in TV and movies. Next up, he will be in the TV adaptation of the Stephen King novel Lisey's Story, so he definitely isn't going anywhere any time soon.

The Stranger creator Veena Sud told Syfy Wire that the choice to cast Dane was always on her mind, as she had wanted to work with the actor for a long time. In fact, she wrote the role with him in mind, specifically, proving just how influential he has been as an actor over the years. So, you know, no pressure or anything.

"He goes from The Place Beyond the Pines, where he’s such a tender, vulnerable young man, to these really dark places that feel genuine and scary," Veena said. "His range is phenomenal. When I first wrote the role, I was thinking about Dane. So we went out to him right away and he said yes." It was basically meant to be.

Because the Quibi series is so mysterious, it's hard not to wonder if there is some source material out there in the form of a movie or even an urban legend. But, as it turns out, the show is nothing like movies from the past several decades which bear the same title. Instead, it’s a story all on its own and one that will leave you wanting more after each short episode.

So far, there’s no word on whether or not The Stranger will get a second season on Quibi. The streaming platform itself is so new that the success of it alone is still questionable. The story slated to progress throughout Season 1 of The Stranger seems like it will culminate with a bloody end, but depending on fan reception, there is always the possibility that it could come back with more episodes in the future.

Watch new episodes of The Stranger weekdays on Quibi.