Marin Ireland didn’t know Elizabeth Piest’s story before playing her in John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise. But Ireland’s performance in the Peacock limited series should make Elizabeth known to a whole new audience. The project revisits not only Gacy’s horrific crimes, but emphasizes the role that Elizabeth and her family had in his case, and shines a light on his victims overall.

In an interview with TVBrittanyF.com, Marin discusses what interested her in portraying Elizabeth in Devil in Disguise. She spoke about the filming environment on set while handling such a sensitive and grim story. Plus, the Dope Thief and The Divide alum discussed how this role compares to the previous characters she’s played in the crime drama genre.

Brittany Frederick: What was it about telling Elizabeth Piest’s story, or retelling the John Wayne Gacy story, that stood out to you?

Marin Ireland: I had a conversation with [Devil in Disguise co-star] Michael Chernus, who is an old, dear friend of mine. He was the one who told me that Elizabeth was sort of our hero in many ways—that it was in many ways because of her and their family that that Gacy was ultimately stopped. And that was something I did not know. I didn’t know her name, I didn’t know who she was, and that immediately made me feel excited about getting to let people know more about her.

Anyone who’s familiar with this investigation knows how much she and her family went through. That is some very intense. emotional work to do as an actor, so what was your biggest challenge in the role?

The biggest challenge was not to exhaust myself too soon and not to feel like I was getting stuck in the same space. I had to keep getting myself into a position where I could feel like I was open to whatever was happening in that day, in that room, and that I could continue to just listen and be present in the scene that was in front of me, as opposed to thinking about a bigger sense of the story. Just to be in that room, in that moment, and wherever she might be on that day. But it was definitely a physical challenge, as well as mental.

You’re very familiar with the crime TV genre, from recently in Dope Thief to other roles like The Divide and Justified: City Primeval. But you’ve mostly played law enforcement officers. How much of your prior experience was applicable to John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise?

It felt to me very different, only because I was really focusing on a lot of the particulars of this era, and that this woman didn’t have experience in that realm. I didn’t have that much direct interaction with that side of the world.

I remember talking to Badge [James Badge Dale] and Chris Sullivan, and people who were on the other side of things, and feeling like that’s actually a world that I worked more in. I’m not usually on this side of the table in terms of television, but it was something that me as the actor could understand a lot more of. The character was in a whole other zone.

How would you describe the filming experience on set? You’re dealing with such challenging material, yet you’re also in a space with very talented people, so did that make it easier?

That was really intentional with [executive producer] Patrick [Macmanus] and Michael, was creating an atmosphere that was full of a lot of love and support. I think we all felt like, we need to be there for each other and kind of carry each other through this space. So there was a lot of checking in with each other, a lot of love and care.

It was actually a very sweet group of people and a sweet company… We all were kind of checking in a lot and holding on to each other carefully. And that’s not always the case on TV. A lot of times you can feel very spread apart and and far away from each other. But this was really, really caring.

Was there any scene that stood out to you in terms of your performance?

It was a really specific, wild set of circumstances, but we shot the scene [of] the last time Elizabeth sees Rob, almost 46 years to the day—we shot it on the day after her actual birthday. And there was something that really felt like it was very, very present for all of us in the air that day ,that we were doing it on the anniversary, just about. That was very beautiful and very moving.

You mentioned being unfamiliar with Elizabeth Piest at the outset, so is there anything specific that you’re hoping viewers take away from seeing your portrayal of her?

I’m hoping that people have a different sense of what it means to watch true crime. That the victims had more to their lives before this one event that happened to them. And that the systems that fail us all the time, that’s something that is not our fault. We’re working within a broken system, and it often takes a very long time and a community of very persistent people to make things happen.

What were the kinds of conversations you had on John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise to shape Elizabeth into that three-dimensional character?

We talked a lot about that in particular, and the fact that the mothers and the sisters were given a lot of time in this show to to present themselves as fully formed and-well rounded people and characters, and the fact that that is not something that a lot of other shows with this kind of subject matter afford those characters. I feel like it’s another opportunity for people to see themselves in these stories, and not just to watch from a distance, but to open up their own understanding of what this kind of story is doing in the world.

John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise is now streaming on Peacock. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Peacock.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.