Evan Peters says he was “very scared” of going to the dark places he was supposed to go playing serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer

The recent Netflix limited series, Dahmer – Monster: The story of Jeffrey Dahmer, made big waves in following the murders of one of the worst serial killers of our time. He has sparked controversy as he upset the families of the victims and highlighted the missteps of the police who missed the marks of Dahmer’s crimes, allowing him to take more lives and live freely for much longer than he should have. The fact that he victimized a doubly marginalized group in the black LGBTQ demographic led to the victims being less cared for, slipping through the cracks.

It was a huge success despite its heavy, sad and frankly crude argument. Due to the intense theme, it was also very difficult and daunting for the star of the show, Evan Peters, assume. In an interview with Netflix (via / Film), Peters talked about diving into the role, which she admits to having him “very scared”, saying:

“Honestly, I was very scared of all the things he did, and diving into that and trying to commit to that was absolutely one of the hardest things I ever had to do in my life, because I wanted to be very authentic, but to do it. I had to go to really dark places and stay there for a long time. “

Peters went on to describe the challenge of playing a seemingly normal person hiding this dark secret from the whole world. Ryan Murphy, who co-created and co-wrote the series, had a specific rule in making the series, that “Monster” was not a story from Dahmer’s point of view. He was concerned with the repercussions of his crimes and how a corrupt system failed to stop him even when they had the chance. Peters explained:

“Getting lost in this, it was a challenge trying to have this person who was apparently so normal, but underneath it all, he had this whole world that he was keeping a secret from everyone. So, we had a rule in this from Ryan that was never going to be. said from Dahmer’s point of view. As an audience, you’re not really sympathizing with him, you’re not really getting into his situation, you’re looking at him from the outside. It’s called the story of Jeffrey Dahmer, but it’s not just him and his story It’s the past. It’s the repercussions. It’s how society and our system failed to stop it over and over again, because of racism, homophobia … it’s just a tragic story. Everyone has their own version of the story. told”.

It turned out to be a little more complicated than that, with the families of the victims feeling the show was too explicit and glorified Dahmer in a way. I don’t think he meant to do it, but to see people dressed up as killer for Halloween this year, one wonders. To Murphy’s credit, he said he attempted to consult with at least 20 families of the victims, but heard nothing from any of them. They probably didn’t want the project done in the first place, which is understandable. I couldn’t watch it. I’m a fan of real crime, but I have a weak stomach and can’t handle Dahmer.

Have you seen the series? How did you feel about Evan Peters in the role and the story as a whole?