Looking at the roles that actor Evan Peters has chosen to play over his nearly two-decade career, you can see that he is drawn to characters who are twisted and dark. After playing various deranged characters in the Ryan Murphy anthology series. American Horror Story, he gained international recognition for his role as notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in the Netflix series. Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
The show was a huge success, but also drew criticism for its sensationalism and for profiting from injuries. Peters himself had a hard time playing the killer, so much so that he turned down an offer to star alongside Aubrey Plaza in the show’s second season. White Lotus.
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Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer
After over ten years of working with Evan Peters on American Horror StoryCreator Ryan Murphy cast Peters perfectly as serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in his new true-crime anthology. Netflix series Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story It premiered in 2022 and quickly became the streaming giant’s second most popular English series.
Peters played the eponymous Jeffrey Dahmer, who at the time of his sentencing was charged with the murders of seventeen men, including minors. To play the deranged character, Peters had to prepare for four months to get inside the killer’s head. The actor reportedly watched interviews, confessional tapes, documentaries and psychological profiles to better understand him.
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The actor mentioned in an interview with The Envelope (via LA Times) that the actor tried to capture Dahmer’s physicality, especially after the time jump, by carrying weights to reduce the flailing of his arms and wearing the clothes he would wear during filming. He said,
“I wouldn’t say “Method.” I think this term has been misinterpreted over the years. Everyone has their own method. I prefer to just stay in it while we’re filming, trying to be as authentic as possible. I find it very difficult to get in and out of it.”
Evan Peters won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film for his role and was nominated for an Emmy Award.
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Evan Peters turned down the role in White Lotus
While Evan Peters didn’t go as far as other actors like Heath Ledger have gone in playing deranged characters, he did mention that the character was difficult to break out of. In fact, he was so turned on by playing a serial killer that he sacrificed a big role and a trip to Sicily after he was offered a role in the second season of the Aubrey Plaza-starrer series. White Lotus.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter as part of the Actors’ Roundtable, Evan Peters revealed that he was supposed to play the role of Ethan, the character played by Will Sharp, opposite Aubrey Plaza. The actor was reportedly offered this after he played Jeffrey Dahmer. He said,
“Yes, the schedule didn’t work. I was devastated… (I had to play) Will Sharpe’s (character) Ethan.”
Although Peters chalked it up to scheduling conflicts, he responded to White Lotus Actor Michael Imperioli’s question about whether he was offered the character “following Dahmer‘ to which he said yes.
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Source: The Hollywood Reporter, The Envelope (via LA Times)