Lead Weights and an Audio Tape Helped Evan Peters Become Jeffrey Dahmer

Evan Peters took very specific measures to get into character for DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. During a Netflix round table, the actor talked about all of the ways he stepped into the serial killer’s shoes to portray the fictionalized version of him in the true crime series. Find out what lead weights and an audio tape had to do with it.

Evan Peters didn’t break character when he played Jeffrey Dahmer

In a round table interview, showrunner Ryan Murphy, Niecy Nash, who played Dahmer’s neighbor Glenda Cleveland, and Peters discussed his persona on the set of the Netflix series. According to Nash, Peters didn’t break character, even when they weren’t shooting. 

Nash mentioned being asked what Peters was like on set and how she couldn’t answer. “I’m like, ‘I don’t know!’ because we did not connect at all during the filming,” she said. 

There was a good reason for that. “I just tried to stay in [character] because it was too hard to go in and out of it,” Peters explained. 

Evan Peters wore lead weights to stop his arms from swinging 

Aside from studying the real Dahmer’s interview with Stone Philips, Peters says he “did a lot” to become the role. “I watched all the footage I could find — interviews, court room, and sort of studied how he moved,” Peters explained. “He had a very straight back, he didn’t move his arms when he walked.” 

Murphy reminded Peters of the lead weights he wore around his hands when filming began. “I did — it was important for me to kind of get how that felt,” Peters elaborated. “As we were shooting, I let that go.” Initially, Peters also walked around set in his full wardrobe and had a cigarette in his hands at all times. 

Dialect coaches and a 45-minute audio tape helped Evan Peters nail Jeffrey Dahmer’s accent 

Hailing from Milwaukee, Dahmer had a very specific way of speaking. To get his accent down for DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Peters worked with dialect coaches.

He also had a 45-minute audio composite that he listened to daily. The tape helped him stay in the accent and “get into the mindset and … try to understand what he was thinking and going through.” 

‘Step Brothers’ helped Evan Peters get out of character after filming ‘DAHMER’ 

Working on DAHMER, Peters wanted to give “120 percent” because he felt like “the material deserved it.” But Nash and many fans want to know — what did Peters do to decompress after a day on set? How did he stop being the serial killer Dahmer and revert back to the actor Peters? 

The American Horror Story alum took time off from acting after filming the Netflix series. “I haven’t worked since we shot this,” he said. “I tried to shake it all off … saw my family a lot, friends. Just tried to decompress.” Part of that process involved watching Step Brothers, which his DAHMER co-star Richard Jenkins appears in, to “change up his psyche.” 

Peters also recalled a day on set when Nash saw he was struggling with the role. She shared a phrase her grandmother used to tell her: “Hang tough ’til you get enough, and when you get enough, still hang tough.” That phrase helped Peters decompress, too.

Watch DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story on Netflix.