Satan in Disguise has obtained reward for the care that went into centering the present round John Wayne Gacy‘s victims whereas additionally clarifying misinformation concerning the infamous serial killer.
Throughout an unique interview with Us Weekly, Michael Chernus broke down his strategy of bringing Gacy to life, saying, “The analysis was as in depth as you'd think about with one thing like this. There was a lot materials accessible — from books to documentaries to podcasts to YouTube movies. I did need to be taught as a lot as I may concerning the cultural and public notion of John Wayne Gacy as a result of one of many issues we're attempting to do with this present is flip that notion on its head and bust among the myths about him and this story.”
It was additionally a precedence to “appropriate among the misinformation” on the market about Gacy.
“One instance is that numerous the films and initiatives which have been made about him give attention to the truth that he was a clown. A number of books are referred to as The Killer Clown however the entire clowning factor was only a small side of who he was,” Chernus, 48, defined. “So far as we all know, he didn't kill any of his victims dressed as a clown. He didn't use his clown persona to lure boys again to his home. It was really — in a means — much more sinister than that. It was one in every of many masks that he wore and one in every of many personalities he constructed to cover, to suit into society and to return off as innocent or non-threatening.”
Getty Photographs (3); MEGA From the homicide of JonBenét Ramsey to convicted killer Ed Gein, there's a number of scripted true crime exhibits coming our means quickly. Paramount+ just lately introduced a restricted collection that may cowl the Ramsey household earlier than and after JonBenet's homicide in 1996. The unnamed JonBenét Ramsey collection particularly facilities round mother and father John and […]
The actor continued: “I used to be very interested by understanding why some individuals are obsessive about him and what the lure was and the way we may method the story differently to level out that that really isn't actually how all of this occurred. He wasn't what the tradition perceived him to be. In a means, the clown helped to dehumanize him and make him into this bigger than life boogeyman and this killer clown, when really fact is a lot scarier than fiction.”
Gacy was a serial killer and intercourse offender who raped, tortured and murdered dozens of younger males and boys. After he was convicted of 32 murders in 1980, he was sentenced to loss of life and died by deadly injection in 1994.
Satan in Disguise, which premiered earlier this month, shifted the main target from Gacy to the trauma inflicted on the victims' households. The Peacock collection named every episode after a sufferer of Gacy's and questioned investigative missteps and systemic failures that led to Gacy evading the regulation for therefore lengthy.
“I used to be hesitant to even throw my hat within the ring for this job, initially. As a result of I didn't need to do something that — in any means — glorified John Wayne Gacy,” Chernus shared with Us. “[Showrunner] Patrick Macmanus instructed me this concept of specializing in the victims and telling their tales and shedding gentle.”
Bureau of Prisons/Getty Photographs Peacock's Satan in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy is the most recent scripted collection centered round a prolific serial killer. In accordance with the present's synopsis, the restricted TV collection “peels again the twisted layers of John Wayne Gacy‘s life whereas weaving within the heartrending tales of his largely homosexual victims.” Satan in Disguise […]
Chernus was glad that the present “wouldn't be displaying any graphic violence or homicide” on display.
“John Wayne Gacy is part of the story as a result of he must be,” Chernus mentioned. “However I solely need individuals to find out about him in a lot because it perhaps helps us perceive psychopathy and perhaps in some small means a TV present may stop one thing like this from occurring sooner or later.”
Satan in Disguise doesn't need viewers to “stroll away with empathy or sympathy” for the topic, with the actor including, “However there's usually a factor the place actors speak about methods to play a personality, you must discover a technique to love them. It's a must to have empathy for them. It's a must to stroll 1000 miles of their footwear and I actually have believed that up till now. I don't — at the least with this character — imagine that. I by no means acquired to a spot the place I had actual empathy for him.”
Satan in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy is now streaming on Peacock.
