The 44-year-old actor, son of veteran actress Maggie Smith, has described the disappointment he feels when receiving British scripts, reported BBC online.
"Generally, when I get sent British scripts - and this isn't a generalisation - nine times out of ten my heart sinks after about three pages," he said.
"We need to stop trying to imitate America. We need to stop trying to do the same movies over and over: the gangsters and football violence.
"We do these intelligentsia movies about married couples in Hampstead or whatever. I think there's a place for all those things but we can't keep on repeating ourselves," Stephens said.