Michael Chernus plays John Wayne Gacy in the series “Devil in Disguise” and makes a thoughtful statement — GeekTyrant

Michael Chernusbest known for roles in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Orange is the new
Black, Ramyand the Apple series severance payhas signed a contract to play the serial killer in the Peacock mini-drama series The devil in disguise: John Wayne Gacy.

Inspired by NBC News Studios and Peacock documentary series, John Wayne Gacy: The Devil in Disguise, The limited series is produced by UCP.

According to the official logline, the series “uncovers the tangled layers of Gacy’s life, weaving together the heartbreaking stories of his mostly gay victims, exploring the grief, guilt and trauma of their families and friends and exposing the systemic failures, missed opportunities and societal prejudices that fueled his reign of terror.”

Between 1972 and 1978, Gacy murdered at least 33 young men and boys near Chicago, Illinois, “and no one was the wiser,” the series description states. “All these years, not. Why? He was charming and funny. Had a good, all-American job. Was a community leader. He even volunteered to entertain sick children… dressed as a clown.”

Chernus made the following statement about the project:

“I am both excited and humbled by this opportunity. The direction the writers are taking with this project is important. They focus on the victims and their families, as well as those who ultimately brought John Wayne Gacy to justice.

Although Gacy was the perpetrator of these gruesome crimes, I am relieved that he will not be the focus of the series. It breaks my heart to think of what his victims (all young men and boys) could have done with their lives if the system had not failed them so tragically.

I believe in the power of storytelling and hope that by telling this story compassionately, we can help prevent something like this from ever happening again.”

Chernus and the streamer seem to realize that the genre of serial killer stories is popular with viewers, but has come under more scrutiny in recent years depending on how the stories are told and how much or little focus is placed on the killer versus the victims.

It sounds like they’re putting a lot of thought into the story they’re going to tell and I’m looking forward to watching it.

about: Diversity