With 856 million hours streamed in the first four weeks after launch, the Netflix series “Dahmer – Monster: The Story of Jeffrey Dahmer” has become one of the most successful Netflix productions ever and is therefore a topic of conversation in all social networks and media for good reason. Since the series is a fictional true crime format about a young man who brutally murdered dozens of other young men, it was clear that the series would raise some questions.
Dahmer actor Evan Peters (“Mare Of Easttown”) grappled with one of these questions — long before filming for the ten-part Netflix series even began. What kind of person was the serial killer and why did he kill? In an interview (via ) Peters explained how intensively he prepared for this difficult role and how he tried to delve into Dahmer’s mindset – and it all sounds quite stressful!
Lead weights, shoe inserts and prayers: so dark was the role of “Dahmer”
Initially, Peters wasn’t sure he wanted to play the part because he knew it was going to be a pretty dark time. Four months (!) before the start of the shooting, Peters slipped into the role – skin and hair:
He has a very straight back and does not move his arms when he walks. So I wore weights on my arms and insoles in the typical shoes. I wore his jeans, his glasses and always had a cigarette in my hand.
The outward appearances helped him get to know Dahmer as a person. He also searched for “private moments” and Dahmer’s mentality in taped interviews with the real killer. Four months of preparation, six months of shooting: Evans spent ten months in the role of the killer – and today he speaks of time as an “exhaustive quest”.. Evan’s co-star Niecy Nash (“Selma”), who played Glenda Cleveland, Dahmer’s neighbor, watched Evans struggle and grew tired of the role. So she continued to pray for her companion.
Incidentally, some of the real interviews with Jeffrey Dahmer can also be found on Netflix. In the documentary “Jeffrey Dahmer: Self-portrait of a Serial Killer” the perpetrator murdered in prison in 1994 speaks.