Michael Chernus’s Emmy Moment Got Cut From Devil in Disguise

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Michael Chernus is known for his strong supporting roles in shows like Severance and Orange Is the New Black. So, when he was offered the lead in Peacock’s Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, he was hesitant. He didn’t want to sensationalize the story of the notorious serial killer or his crimes. However, the show’s creator, Patrick Macmanus, had a different approach to the true-crime genre. “I was attracted to Patrick’s vision of avoiding graphic violence, showing the murders, or fully portraying the ‘Killer Clown’ persona,” Chernus explains. “We aimed to tell this story in a fresh and unique way.”

The documentary Devil in Disguise begins in 1978, following the police search for 15-year-old Robert Piest. The investigation soon focuses on John Gacy, a construction company owner who presented himself as a devoted family man, despite having a criminal record. It ultimately leads to the discovery of the remains of 33 young men and boys buried beneath his house. However, unlike other portrayals of Gacy, Devil in Disguise doesn’t focus on the details of the crimes or his more sensational activities, like his work as a clown. Instead, it centers on the stories of his victims.

The series follows John Wayne Gacy’s encounters with the police, from the initial investigations to his arrest and trial. Each episode also flashes back to show the lives of the young men before they met Gacy. According to one of the creators, David Chernus, realizing the sheer number of victims—33 confirmed, and potentially more still unidentified and buried around Chicago—has been deeply impactful. These unknown victims are marked with headstones that simply read “We Remembered” because their identities remain a mystery. Chernus wore a suit with “We Remembered” embroidered on the lapel at the show’s premiere, hoping to one day uncover the names and stories of these lost young men.

He says it would be incredibly meaningful to him if the show motivated even one person to submit a DNA sample or dental records.

You’ve been acting in films, television, and theater for twenty years, but this is the first time you’re the main character in a project this big. You’ve mentioned being unsure about taking on the role. What was going through your mind when you decided to play Gacy?

I’d been hoping for a lead role my entire career, so there was a moment of thinking, ‘Why does it have to be this character?’ I wondered if I was emotionally prepared to deal with such a difficult role. I also considered how I could contribute to the story without causing further pain or being exploitative, and I worried about potential negative reactions if it came across as sensationalized. Ultimately, I felt a strong responsibility to tell the story of the victims and their families, and that’s what convinced me.

When actors portray villains, they often say it’s important to see the character as the hero of their own story. With this role, did you try to deeply understand Gacy, or did you avoid that approach?

I really tried to understand him, but ultimately, I felt there was a part of him that was beyond comprehension, even for himself. I believe he was a true psychopath and incredibly narcissistic. I did a lot of research to prepare for the role, but I’ve moved away from the idea that you need to love or humanize a character, even someone like Hitler. I still think an actor shouldn’t judge their character, because that would show through in the performance. My goal was simply to present him as a human being, while also making sure the audience didn’t feel sympathy for him. John Gacy was so disconnected from his actions and had so many different sides to his personality that I never felt like I was portraying the complete person. He carefully controlled what aspects of himself he showed to others. He was, in a way, already an actor himself, and that meant I didn’t necessarily need to fully understand him to play the part.

Episode six, titled “Tim, John and Rob,” focuses heavily on John’s perspective and features a lengthy confession he makes to his lawyer, Sam – a storyline hinted at in the first episode. Filming that confession scene with Michael Angarano was particularly challenging. I consider that episode the most difficult of the entire show, as it showcases John more than any other and contains the closest we get to depicting violence. We filmed it very early in the production schedule, so I was immediately faced with a huge task. Michael and I both knew those scenes were crucial, but we hadn’t fully developed our characters yet, which made it draining. However, it eventually became enjoyable in a strange way – it felt like performing in a play.

The episode uses confessionals throughout, which led me to believe we’re seeing the story from John Wayne Gacy’s perspective – his version of events. I always found it fascinating to wonder how much of what he says is actually true. On set, we often thought of him as an untrustworthy storyteller. For example, when he talks about his first victim, Tim McCoy, he claims it was self-defense, but that’s just his side of the story. Since Tim McCoy can’t tell us what really happened – he was buried under Gacy’s house – we shouldn’t simply believe Gacy’s account. I don’t think we should trust him at all.

One of the most unsettling parts of the show depicts John luring 15-year-old Robert Piest, whose disappearance kicks off the story. John invites Robert to his home under the guise of a job offer, then begins to make inappropriate advances, discussing pornography and sexual acts. He quickly escalates, using restraints to leave the boy vulnerable. The creators were very aware of the sensitivity of this scene and put a lot of thought into how to portray it, while also exploring the different sides of John’s personality. Director Larysa Kondracki and I spent a lot of time planning and rehearsing with Ryker, who played Robert, as we didn’t know each other beforehand and needed to build trust. The scene took an entire day to film and was particularly challenging for me because of how quickly John shifts between being friendly, threatening, and then apologetic. Ultimately, I realized that John’s behavior didn’t always have a clear reason; it was simply part of his disturbing character.

He made unwanted sexual advances towards Rob, who firmly rejected him. Gacy then threatened rape. I reacted by physically confronting him, pushing him and pulling down his pants. When I saw his underwear, I feigned shock, pretending to have lost consciousness. Gacy frequently talked about a separate personality, ‘Jack Hanley,’ who he claimed committed the murders. It’s possible this was a way for him to psychologically distance himself from his actions, allowing him to say, ‘It wasn’t me, it was someone else.’ Some survivors described a disturbing shift in his demeanor, going from normal to having a vacant, soulless gaze, as if overtaken by something evil. Portraying that transformation was incredibly challenging.

The final meaningful scenes with John occur in episode seven, featuring car rides with Detective Tovar – the officer who initially suspected him. Tovar is determined to learn how many more victims there might be, while John focuses on the normal life he hopes to return to. What was the purpose of highlighting this dynamic as the story concluded?

Those scenes are among my favorites. Detective Rafael Tovar functions as our show’s closest approximation of a hero, offering the audience a way to understand the full extent of the loss and the impact on the officers involved. Placing these two very different characters in a confined space – a car – forced them to confront each other intimately. It reminded me how a car, during a long drive, can feel like a place for confession, as we aren’t directly facing each other. After his capture, John craved attention – he wanted media coverage. Still hoping to appeal his case, he wouldn’t fully confess, but he realized he was trapped. He saw Tovar as a way to get his story out there, planting the idea that there were more than 33 victims, even if John didn’t explicitly say so. It was also about getting under Tovar’s skin; John knew he could provoke him in that setting.

The finale focuses on John’s execution, but you only appeared in flashbacks relating to the victim, Jeffrey Rindall. I understand you filmed quite a bit of footage showing John’s final days. What led to the decision to cut all of that? Were you disappointed by that change?

The original script featured a lot of scenes with an older John Gacy on death row. We actually filmed those at a former maximum-security prison in Ontario – a really unsettling place, since it had housed a couple of serial killers. We saw his cell, what he requested for his last meal, and it was a great opportunity for me as an actor. I wore a wig, heavy makeup, and changed my voice to portray the older Gacy. Honestly, I thought that performance could earn me an Emmy nomination – a chance to show a real transformation into a frail, desperate man. So, when the creator, Patrick, told me months after filming that he’d decided to remove all of those scenes from the finale, I was definitely disappointed.

Looking back, I believe we made the right choice. The idea was that if we were claiming this show would be different from typical serial killer dramas – focusing on the victims instead of glorifying the killer – then showing his final, vulnerable moments would contradict that promise. It would risk creating sympathy for him. The families of the victims weren’t allowed to witness the execution; they were informed after it happened. Patrick pointed out that if the victims’ families were denied the chance to see it, why should we, as viewers, be allowed to? That argument really resonated with me. I realized we didn’t need to see him begging for his life, or even see him die.

The final moments we have of Gacy are just his voice, as Sam receives a message from him on the night of his execution. Gacy asks why Sam didn’t hire him for a construction job years earlier. It’s unsettling to consider leaving him in that state. We filmed my reaction, and it’s far more impactful to simply hear Gacy’s voice and see Sam’s response. In many ways, it perfectly encapsulates who John Wayne Gacy was. He consistently portrayed himself as the victim, even while committing horrific crimes. He always had an excuse, claiming self-defense or that the young men he abused and murdered were somehow to blame. He never accepted responsibility for his actions. The fact that he’s facing execution but is still focused on trivial matters, like not getting to paint a nursery, highlights his inability to grasp the gravity of his crimes. He remained self-absorbed until the very end.

He was completely alone. This man, who craved acceptance, could only call his lawyer on the night he was to be executed, asking why he hadn’t been allowed to help decorate the lawyer’s son’s nursery. It’s shocking that someone could commit such terrible acts and then be upset about not being invited into a family’s home. Thank goodness I refused him, John!

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2025-10-24 22:56