Dan Levy Has ~Some Regrets~ About Making "Ew, David!" A Thing

No one is worried about Dan Levy becoming a one-hit wonder. Following his banner year in 2020 — which included Schitt's Creek's heartfelt series finale, an Emmys sweep, and a fan-favorite role in Hulu's buzzy holiday movie, Happiest Season — the question is not if, but when Levy will reveal his next big thing. At the start of 2021, Dan Levy's plans include hosting SNL and appearing in a Super Bowl ad. But while these fun, one-off stints are sure to please fans in the short-term, they'll probably also leave them wanting more from the actor and creator. Luckily, Levy hints there are other projects on the way.

Levy is all too aware that, regardless of what he does next, he's carrying the legacy of Schitt's Creek with him. He's cool with that. "If you can do something that people love and that affects people in a meaningful way, that is a wonderful accomplishment." Levy tells Elite Daily. "You obviously hope that you continue to grow as an actor and as a writer and that you can continue to share new iterations of yourself, but ultimately I'm so proud of the show. I'm so proud of what it stands for and what it's meant to people. If that's what people want to remember me as, then absolutely, I have no problems with that."

And if that means people will yell "Ew, David!" at Levy until the end of time, he has no problems with that either... well, almost no problems. "Sometimes it's hard to tell whether they're screaming at me as a person or me as a character," Levy says, laughing. "Do I wish that I had picked [a] word [other] than “ew” to describe me? Uhhhh, maybe? But at the same time, the way that Annie owned that term, I would not trade for anything. So, I take it as a loving compliment."

Rather than pushing back against the role that made him so famous (a seemingly common practice in Hollywood), Levy sees Schitt's Creek as a jumping-off point for his future projects. "What Schitt's has taught me over the years is that there's something really valuable in making well-intentioned television. And that's certainly a philosophy that I'm hoping to take with me in all the work that I'm doing now," he says. "So my goal is that if people love Schitt's Creek, they'll continue to love all the new stuff coming their way."

Levy is still keeping quiet about the specifics of this "new stuff," but in addition to the rom-com he's writing for himself, he said he's exploring other genres. "Before I started working on Schitt's Creek, I never necessarily saw myself as someone exclusive to comedy. Since the show has ended, one of the great joys of these past 10, 12 months has been exploring other genres and other worlds that are quite different from the one that I had written in Schitt's Creek," he says. "[What's next is] certainly going to be different, but I do think there's going to be a ... tonal sensibility throughline that will always connect all the work that I do."

While fans wait for those projects to take shape, Levy is pumped about his immediate future. First up, he'll host Saturday Night Live for the first time on Feb. 6, an opportunity he "didn't see coming." "The great thing about SNL is that you have no control over it ... And that's a really exciting thing to me because I'm used to being in total control in everything I am doing," Levy says. "I am just going to let this wash over me and try and have as great a time as I possibly can."

The day after SNL, Levy will once again have much of the nation's eyes on him when he appears in a Super Bowl commercial — another first for him — for M&M'S. He may lay claim to one of the biggest TV comedies of the moment, but finding out he was going to be in an M&M'S ad was still a big deal.

"I, first of all, asked if it was a prank," Levy says. "It's such an iconic thing to be a part of and so flattering to think the people at M&M'S wanted me to be a part of their ad this year. It's funny. It's about community. It's about bringing people together and it really is so closely aligned with my own sense of humor ... I'm so excited for everyone to see it."

Hopefully it's just a taste of what Levy has in store for fans this year and beyond.