People are calling out viewers for romanticising Evan Peters' Jeffrey Dahmer

23 September 2022, 18:14

Evan Peters opens up about playing Jeffrey Dahmer

By Katie Louise Smith

Just because he's played by Evan Peters, does not mean you should romanticise or "thirst" over someone as evil as Jeffrey Dahmer.

Viewers of Netflix's DAHMER - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story are urging fans of Evans Peters not to romanticise or thirst over the actor's portrayal of the serial killer.

Unlike the other fictional serial killers and murderers that Evan has played on shows like American Horror Story, Dahmer was real and did very, very evil things in real life.

If you haven't watched the series yet, or if you are not familiar with what Dahmer actually did, here's what happened: Dahmer murdered and dismembered 17 young men and boys of colour. Most of the murders also involved necrophilia, cannibalism and the preservation of body parts. Dahmer was ultimately sentenced to 941 years in prison (16 life terms), before being killed by another inmate in jail in 1994.

Out of respect to the victims, people are now calling out those who have tweeted about finding Evan "hot" in the role.

READ MORE: Relative of Jeffrey Dahmer victim slams Netflix for "retraumatising" their family

When Evan's casting was first announced, long-time fans knew that, because of his skills as an actor, he would be able to portray the serial killer with the right tone and in the most appropriate way.

They were right – Evan plays the killer in a way that does not humanise or sympathise with the real life figure.

However, some fans have been concerned with the way others have been speaking about Evan in the role, and they've been calling out those who appear to be romanticising, glamourising and thirsting over Dahmer, because he is played by Evan Peters.

The same thing happened on social media when Ross Lynch portrayed Dahmer in My Friend Dahmer, and when Zac Efron played Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.

Comments such as, "mkay but why is Evan Peters so hot as Jeffrey Dahmer,” have already popped up on social media. Another reads: "'Stop romanticizing serial killers'” okay then why is it evan peters [sic]"

In response to those tweets, one user wrote: "Jeffrey Dahmer was a real monster, not a person but a monster, he killed 17 people.. so u guys truly look disgusting and crazy when you say he's hot because he's played by Evan Peters".

Another added: "Let’s not forget the real Jeffrey dahmer was a evil evil man who raped kids. So tired of seeing people simp over these serial killers played by attractive actors. [sic]"

Speaking about how he approached the 'role' of Dahmer, Evan told Netflix: "I was very scared about all of the things that Dahmer did, and diving into that and trying to commit to [playing this character] was absolutely going to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life because I wanted it to be very authentic."

"But in order to do that, I was going to have to go to really dark places and stay there for an extended period of time."

Evan added: "It felt important to be respectful to the victims and to the victims' families to try to tell the story as authentically as we could."

Read more about Netflix's DAHMER here:

• Netflix viewers call The Jeffrey Dahmer Story the "most disturbing" true crime series ever
• Jeffrey Dahmer's grandmother: The horrifying true story in Netflix's DAHMER
• Evan Peters says Jeffrey Dahmer is the hardest role he's ever had to play
• Evan Peters explains the one rule Ryan Murphy put in place on Netflix Dahmer series

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