Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy has presented a new perspective on one of true crime’s most infamous and terrifying cases. The Peacock limited series has put more focus on Gacy’s victims and their families, and tried to dig deeper into how the system handled (or mishandled) such a massive investigation. The actors who portray the investigators and attorneys have a lot to unpack.

TVBrittanyF.com connected with stars Michael Angarano (who plays Gacy’s defense attorney Sam Amirante), Chris Sullivan (prosecuting attorney Bill Kunkle) and James Badge Dale (detective Joe Kozenczak) to discuss the making of Devil in Disguise. The trio spoke about how they approached their roles, the aspects of the series that resonated with them most, and how intense the filming experience was on set.

Brittany Frederick: Michael, you have a particular challenge in front of you portraying Sam Amirante, because viewers will definitely ask how he could defend Gacy. What was your perspective on Sam?

Michael Angarano: I think it was even in my audition scene. It’s the scene he has with his wife, after the night Gacy confessed to him that he killed 33 boys. Sam is really realizing what it is he just stepped into, but it’s early enough for him to step out if he wanted to. For me, it was understanding the complexity and the richness of the idea behind the fact that Sam, I don’t think, was ever going to say no to representing Gacy —for personal ambition, but also for the fact that he really believed in the system.

Sam was a Marine. He idolized people who came before him who, no matter what the crime was, [people] had a right to be defended, and so that’s sort of where Sam hung his hat—whether or not it’s likable or whether or not it’s something people understand. To be honest, I don’t think that’s the point. I think what Sam, even to this day, would admit, was that it really changed his life. Sam was divorced after it. His family was affected in ways. He was emotionally affected. So it’s sort of the personal ambition and the ego and the higher, nobler cause of defense, versus the emotional, personal toll that it took on him. That’s kind of the core of him.

Chris, there’s a theatricality to portraying Bill Kunkle. Viewers may not realize that you have quite a bit of stage experience. Did any of that become helpful in embodying Bill?

Chris Sullivan: There certainly is a bombast to Bill Kunkle that I was afforded by taking in a few of his interviews. You’re just like oh, look at this guy. He knows who he is, and how this is going to go, and the rest of you can take a long hike. (Laughs.) My theater work will come into play no matter what, just because it’s there. But the [series] was populated by incredible stage performers, and all of us kind of knew each other. So it felt very theatrical as we were playing it out.

James, you have one of the most interesting scenes in Devil in Disguise opposite Marin Ireland, when Joe is trying to talk to Elizabeth about blind spots and failures in the system. What was it like to play that moment?

James Badge Dale: Let’s talk about Marin. There’s nothing but the truth when you’re working with her. So actually having give that woman that line of bullshit—it doesn’t fix anything. It lands so hollow, and Marin allowed me to continually try to land it and fail repeatedly.

It’s not easy subject matter. All of us know each other, so we supported each other, and we had a great time working together because we were professionals. We loved each other, and everyone comes for that moment. Those moments when the cameras are rolling are really special and they’re really priceless, and you always play that game of, I don’t know where this is going to go, and it can’t help but land in you. I can’t tell you how many takes I did with everyone on this where they’d yell cut, and we’d all kind of look at each other and just go, take a deep breath, we’ll do it again. All right, let’s do it again. Give it a shot.

The supportive nature of the filming environment is something that Marin had mentioned in her interview as well. How did the three of you mitigate the heaviness of the subject matter with everyone else on set?

Sullivan: There was a great amount of respect and quiet on set when we were dealing with these stories, but there was also a great amount of of levity off-set that we owed ourselves and we owed each other, to bring each other back from the depths that people were traveling. Especially people like Marin and [Michael] Chernus [who plays John Wayne Gacy].

Angarano: Chernus was there more than all of us. He was there all the time. And I think we were all kind of worried about him, not in a in a true sense, but in the sense of we understood. We saw it. We witnessed it, that that guy had to go to some really dark, scary places. When I watched his performance, and even when I was working with him on set, his performance feels like a dedication in a way. I think he took so much care and responsibility, and he really tormented himself with with that responsibility.

It really consumed him. And I don’t mean that in a dramatic way, but I think it was just something he brought to the environment. And watching him work, I think the crew understood it. We all understood it. Michael Chernus is one of the warmest, kindest souls… And that also came from [Devil in Disguise creator] Patrick [Macmanus] and his intention and what he set out to do, and what was given to us with the scripts. I feel like there was just a really, really delicate ecosystem of care and trust and respect for for each other, but also what we were doing.

Given that, what resonated with you during the process of making Devil in Disguise? What do you want to draw viewers’ attention to?

Sullivan: The incredible talent of the young actors who are playing the stories of these victims is really relevant… The ensemble nature of this cast is really something to be noted.

Badge Dale: To piggyback on that—[the] set dressing department, the hair and makeup department. It’s a real special thing when you’re working on a job and you see an entire crew buy in, and every department is putting their best foot forward, because they believe in the mission statement and they believe that as artists, they have something to contribute. And that really does come from the top on down.

Angarano: Patrick’s focus on the show was to represent the victims and their families and tell their stories, and just from a practical perspective, that is really hard to accomplish, episode by episode. You’re creating another world. You’re asking production to go on location. You’re casting actors who are coming into work for a couple of days, which as an actor that’s one of the most challenging things to ever do, is to just step in and deliver… I’m just so proud to be a part of a show that set out to achieve something really ambitious.

Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy 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.