The Last of Us star on new John Wayne Gacy drama: “I think every one of us at some point was afraid to do it”

by

I’ve been watching this new documentary, “Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy,” and it’s really unsettling. It got me thinking – how could someone commit such horrific crimes against at least 33 people, and get away with it for so long? It’s just shocking that no one seemed to notice what was happening. It originally came out in the US last year, and now it’s finally available to watch here in the UK on ITV1 and ITVX.

As a true crime and horror fan, the story of John Wayne Gacy always chills me to the bone. For years, between ’72 and ’78, he was quietly terrorizing the Norwood Park neighborhood of Chicago. The really disturbing part? He seemed like such a normal guy – a husband, a dad, even involved in local politics and running a business. Nobody suspected a thing. But hidden under his house, in the crawl space, he was keeping a horrifying secret – the remains of his victims. It’s just… incredibly unsettling how someone could hide such darkness behind a normal facade.

Gabriel Luna, who plays detective Rafael Tovar in ‘The Last of Us,’ explained to TopMob that many people will be outraged to learn how long this individual was permitted to continue their actions.

Tovar played a key role in the investigation and the process of digging up remains from John Gacy’s property, where the serial killer lured many of his young victims.

He was leaving behind a significant amount of evidence and making a big impact on the city. He was operating over a wide area, and the problem was that law enforcement didn’t take the people involved seriously – largely because of their sexual orientation and social standing.

A number of his victims had been ostracised by their families because they were gay.

Because the story was so disturbing, Luna admitted the actors were hesitant at first. He explained that everyone on the cast had moments where they worried about taking on the project.

Ultimately, it was showrunner Patrick Macmanus’s unique approach that convinced everyone to get involved – despite initially refusing the project three times.

Luna explained that he was pushing himself to approach the story from a fresh perspective, prioritizing respect for the victims and their families. He felt it was crucial to be able to tell the story in this particular manner.

It’s impossible to tell the stories of all thirty-three victims, but each episode includes brief scenes introducing some of them before they encountered John Gacy,” explained Michael Chernus (Severance), the actor playing Gacy.

I wanted to be involved because I felt it could be a meaningful project. It wasn’t about playing John Gacy himself, but about using the role to tell a bigger, more important story. My only hesitation at first was that so much has already been written and said about his crimes.

He explained that the story has been told repeatedly in many different forms of media over the years. However, he believes this new approach is significant because it offers a fresh perspective and aims to set the record straight, correcting past inaccuracies.

Something that really struck me about the Gacy case was the media’s focus on his ‘killer clown’ persona. Apparently, he often performed as ‘Pogo the Clown’ to brighten the days of children in hospitals, and that’s what the press immediately zeroed in on, as Chernus pointed out. It’s a strange detail that seemed to capture everyone’s attention, and it’s something I kept thinking about while learning about the case.

While selling newspapers and attracting attention were part of what he did, they didn’t define him. And contrary to rumors, he never used a clown costume to attract children. Instead, he used the persona as a disguise – a way to blend in and appear non-threatening.

We’re aiming to tell this story with a fresh and more truthful approach than what’s been shown previously.

Look, we all know the broad strokes of the Gacy case, but honestly, this series manages to offer a surprisingly new angle. As someone who’s followed true crime for a while, I was impressed that it didn’t just rehash old information – it actually felt like I was seeing things with fresh eyes.

He believes their findings offer a new contribution to the extensive history of coverage surrounding John Wayne Gacy, especially because they centered the experiences of those affected by his crimes.

Honestly, as a fan, what really draws me to this story is that it’s about giving those who were hurt a chance to be remembered as people – not just statistics. It’s about letting their stories be heard and honoring their lives. I truly believe that facing difficult or scary things is where the most powerful and meaningful work happens. It’s about confronting those fears and finding something real on the other side.

atoms.consentPlaceholder.headingText

atoms.consentPlaceholder.consentOrPay.bodyText

You can now watch ‘Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy’ on ITVX. It’s also being shown on ITV1 every Friday at 9pm.

Authors

Abby RobinsonDrama Editor

Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor at TopMob, where she writes about TV dramas and comedies. Before joining TopMob, she worked as a TV writer for Digital Spy and a content writer for Mumsnet. She has a degree and a postgraduate diploma in English Studies.

Read More

2026-02-03 18:05