“It’s not that I’m pigeonholed as one character, but all the darker stuff gets more thrown at you. In a way, I have to prove that I’m not this crazy guy” – Evan Peters
American Horror Story regular Evan Peters likely appreciates the fact that series creator Ryan Murphy has cast him in the series since the first season and also cast him in the bleak series Pose — but as he tells GQ, he really hopes that he could get away from such creepy and intense roles in his future work.
Peters reveals that he intends to back away from roles with the level of intensity of his recent projects. He says, “I’m not doing it anymore. I just made a decision. I said to myself, ‘I can’t do it anymore.’ It’s not me. It’s not who I am! … I’m goofy, I’m silly, I like to have fun. I don’t like to yell and scream. I actually hate it. I think it’s disgusting and really awful, and it’s been a challenge for me. Horror Story sort of demanded that of me.”
The actor goes on to say that he finds it personally difficult to play these types of roles one after another, adding, “It’s been all a massive stretch for me and really difficult to do. It’s hurting my soul and Evan as a person. There’s this massive amount of rage that’s been called upon from me, and the emotional stuff that’s been called on me for Pose has been heartbreaking, and I’m sick. I don’t feel good.”
With that said, Peters admits that he’s always willing to work when asked but also says that he still hopes to be able to follow a more comedic route. He continues, “I’ve always consistently been trying to just be able to work. [laughs] A lot of turns I didn’t know I was going to be taking. You rise to the occasion, but I never quite wanted to go that route. My favorite actors are Jim Carrey and Chris Farley, Tom Hanks, Robin Williams. Robin Williams is the best—to be able to do all that comedy but also be heartbreaking.”
