Posted in: Peacock, TV | Tagged: Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy

Devil in Disguise: Angarano, Dale & Sullivan on Ensemble, Environnent

Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy stars Michael Angarano, James Badge Dale & Chris Sullivan discuss the cast, Showrunner Macmanus, and more.

Any time you tell the story of somebody as infamously high-profile as serial killer John Wayne Gacy, it's always a delicate process in terms of who and what you're highlighting due to the horrific nature of the crimes. Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy creator Patrick Macmanus looked to put far more emphasis on his victims, their families, and the investigators who ultimately brought him to justice. Playing Chief Investigator Joe Kozenczak and District Attorney Bill Kunkle are James Badge Dale and Chris Sullivan, respectively. On the other side, legally, is attorney Sam Amirante, played by Michael Angarano, who tries to provide counsel and defense of Gacy (Michael Chernus). Dale, Sullivan, and Angarano spoke to Bleeding Cool about working with Gabriel Luna (Det. Rafael Tovar) as part of the core on the trial of Gacy, how art imitated life for Angarano, mulling over the role and major family obligations, and how Chernus proved himself as a leader on set.

Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy Stars Michael Angarano, James Badge Dale, and Chris Sullivan on the Series' Ensemble Nature, Michael Chernus, and More

James and Chris, what intrigued you about Devil in Disguise working with Gabriel Luna and telling the story of those behind Gacy's capture and his victims?

Sullivan: One of the first conversations that I had was with Patrick McManus. He and I met back in 2002 when we were both very young actors. We worked on a little project together. That was the first thing that drew me to ['Devil in Disguise']. Once I heard who he had lined up, it was a murderer's row of my literally favorite actors working today, so it was an easy project to join, especially considering the angle with which Patrick had decided to approach this story through telling the stories of the victims and their families.

Dale: In my first meeting, I saw that Chernus was going to do this, and I've known him for a long time. We've worked together. I'm a big fan of his, but we all run in the same circle in New York. I talked to Patrick, and I was like, "Oh man, I like you. How do I describe this feeling that I'm having, because I know what a dark journey you're about to go on?" Maybe I started to feel this pull and this need to be there and to be a part of that journey. On the other side of that, too, I'd never worked with Gabriel before. I had a great time working with him. He's a lovely man and a great actor. He's one of those actors who's very free and cruises around work with his guitar, never seen him with sides. I'm like, "Hey Gabriel, you want to shoot the rehearsal?" He's like, "Yeah, let's shoot the rehearsal, man," and I like that approach where you show up with someone, you let it fall out, and see where you land.

Michael, what appealed to you about playing Sam, working with Michael Cernus, and the challenges of advocating for Gacy?

Angarano: I read for Patrick here in LA, and the scenes I read with him were so rich and complex. My wife and I just had a baby. Once I heard that it could be going further, I was faced with the challenge that I was going to be working in another country for six months, while you know my wife was in postpartum. Our little daughter was just a month old, so it was my own personal conflict. I had an incredibly different set of circumstances, but Sam's own inner conflict of choosing a job over [his personal life] due to ambition, ego, defending the justice system, whatever may be.

I had a weird personal conflict. [Sam] is such a great character, and one that I've never been given the opportunity to play before. Somebody, for the entire show, I feel like there is this gray area of Sam where he falls on the ethical spectrum, and I enjoyed that. It felt like a really human-rich character. I was also surprised that I got the job, and the first person I spoke to, even before my agents, was Michael Chernus. He called me out of nowhere, and we spoke for like an hour and a half. He welcomed me aboard, and I thought, "Wow! This guy is great! He does not have to do that, and you can tell immediately how seriously he took it, and how responsible he felt, and what a great number one he was off the bat. Everything about it was really exciting for me, despite the challenges.

Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, which also stars Marin Ireland, Greg Bryk, and Thom Nyhuus, is available on Peacock.

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