Severance star Michael Chernus balked at taking on ‘complicated’ role of serial killer John Wayne Gacy in new series

Severance star Michael Chernus has admitted he wasn’t initially intent on stepping into the role of infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

Chernus, 48, known for playing Adam Scott’s goofy on-screen brother-in-law in the Emmy-winning sci-fi drama, leads Peacock’s forthcoming crime drama Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy.

Premiering Thursday, the new scripted drama series — based on the streamer’s 2021 docuseries of a similar name — will tell the story of Gacy, who was convicted of brutally murdering at least 33 people throughout the 1970s.

Speaking to the New York Post about his casting, the Orange Is the New Black alum said he had immediate reservations about taking on the role of Gacy.

“To be honest, I was hesitant when I first got the call that there was interest in me playing John Wayne Gacy, because that just sounds really complicated and tricky,” Chernus said.

However, he recalled being “put at ease” by executive producer and showrunner Patrick McManus, saying: “I knew we were on the same page, and that he and I never wanted to sensationalize this story, or certainly not glorify John Wayne Gacy, and that he really wanted to shed light on who some of these victims were.

“I never wanted him to come off as too likable or charming. I just wanted the audience to understand this is why some of these young men trusted him,” Chernus acknowledged.

Gacy was a prolific killer in the 1970s, known for torturing and raping his victims — all males — before murdering them, often through strangulation or asphyxiation.

A majority of his victims were men he lured from Greyhound bus stops or picked up off the street. He typically offered them drinks, food or money for sex as a way to coax them back to his ranch located in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois.

Meanwhile, in public, Gacy was a frequent fundraiser and participated in several charitable organizations. He eventually joined a group of people that performed as clowns, and developed his characters of “Pogo” and “Patches,” both clowns. Gacy frequently performed at children’s parties while wearing his clown outfit.

After luring his victims back to his home, Gacy would offer to teach them a magic trick, sometimes while dressed as his clown characters. After demonstrating a trick involving handcuffs, he would offer to teach his victims the illusion before securing them in handcuffs to rape and torture them.

Eventually, he would kill his victims by strangling them with a rope or shoving rags deep into their throats. As a result of his method of killing and dress, he earned the nickname, “Killer Clown.”

Gacy, convicted of his crimes in 1980, was imprisoned for over 15 years before ultimately being executed in 1994 at age 52.

According to an official logline, Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy “peels back the twisted layers of Gacy’s life while weaving in heartrending stories of his victims; exploring the grief, guilt, and trauma of their families and friends; and exposing the systemic failures, missed opportunities, and societal prejudices that fueled his reign of terror.”

In addition to Chernus, the series also stars Gabriel Luna, James Badge Dale, Michael Angarano, Chris Sullivan, and Marin Ireland.

Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy will be available to stream Thursday on Peacock.