- 11 hours ago
When true crime dramas cast Hollywood heartthrobs as real-life killers, controversy is never far behind. For this list, we’re looking at movies and shows that sensationalized or glamorized actual murderers through their casting or portrayal. Did these creative choices go too far, or were they just for dramatic effect? Let us know what you think in the comments!
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00:00It's not to say that he's not a despicable man, but, you know, we managed to make him, you know, a human.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:08And today, we're looking at films and TV shows that cast attractive actors to play actual murderers.
00:14I devise a bequeath to my wife, Mary Louise Menendez.
00:21Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan, the assassination of Gianni Versace, American Crime Story.
00:27Andrew was a lovable, loved, fun, smart, intelligent, charming guy.
00:32And he had all these things going for him.
00:35In that way, the story is quite unique.
00:37When it comes to portraying a killer who was actually considered attractive,
00:41true crime drama creators obviously want to cast a good-looking actor.
00:45For the second season of American Crime Story, Ryan Murphy turned to Darren Criss,
00:50best known as Blaine Anderson on Glee, to embody Andrew Cunanan.
00:54My mother's parents are from Italy, from the South.
00:56Scilacci is their family name, maybe you know them.
00:59My mother still feels a very strong connection to the country,
01:02but in truth, she's never been. Can you believe that?
01:05Famously, the spree killer murdered multiple men,
01:07with his final victim being Italian designer Gianni Versace.
01:11Cunanan has been described as outgoing and intelligent,
01:14but also known to be a compulsive liar.
01:16Compared to Murphy's other salacious works,
01:18the assassination of Gianni Versace wasn't as offensive,
01:22though the Versace family did speak out on the show's inaccuracies.
01:25Your friends?
01:26Yeah, we met in San Francisco.
01:28I was helping him with the costumes for Capriccio.
01:31It's an opera he was working on.
01:33And one night, he treated me to a meal at Starz, anyone who's anyone needs them.
01:37Viewers still loved Criss' outstanding performance,
01:40which earned him a Golden Globe, Critics' Choice, SAG Award, and Emmy.
01:45Rob Lowe as Drew Peterson
01:47Drew Peterson, Untouchable
01:49Since making a name for himself in the late 1980s,
01:52Rob Lowe has become a bona fide movie star,
01:55member of the Brat Pack,
01:56and an all-around national treasure.
01:59Although he made several comedies and dramas,
02:01people weren't sure what to expect with 2012's Drew Peterson, Untouchable.
02:05Strip.
02:08See, now I get it.
02:10You just want to have a look at my package.
02:13I'd like to make that out.
02:14The two men look nothing alike,
02:17and Lowe has always been considered handsome.
02:19To become a convicted murderer,
02:21the actor dyed his hair blonde and donned a prominent mustache,
02:24along with old-age makeup.
02:26Is that there's something about him, clearly,
02:28where these young, beautiful women are continually attracted to him.
02:34And so he clearly has some kind of swagger going.
02:38Of course, fans could still see the Hollywood hunk underneath.
02:41Lowe accepted the challenge, showing his range.
02:43The Lifetime movie wasn't deemed salacious,
02:46though the real Drew Peterson was not a fan.
02:49Well, he didn't mean hysterical in a funny way.
02:51He meant hysterically ridiculous, hysterically inaccurate.
02:54And I think that what shows that Stacey Peterson's own family
02:57also was quoted as saying that the movie was so inaccurate,
03:02they had a laugh.
03:03Young actors as the Broward Seven.
03:05Bully.
03:06Based on Jim Schutz's 1997 book,
03:09indie filmmaker Larry Clark dramatized the 1993 murder of Bobby Kent in Florida.
03:13Kent mentally and physically abused his best friend, Marty Puccio,
03:17Marty's girlfriend, Lisa Connelly,
03:19and her friend, Allie Willis,
03:21motivating their decision to kill him.
03:23Clark cast Brad Renfro as Puccio
03:25and Nick Stahl as the titular tormentor,
03:28both former child stars and 90s heartthrobs.
03:30Hey, you going out?
03:35Hey, man.
03:37You're my best friend, right?
03:40Well-known model slash socialite Bijou Phillips
03:42played an overly sexualized Willis.
03:45Phillips and up-and-comer Kelly Garner's Heather Swallers
03:47were often scantily clad,
03:49as was Rachel Miner's Connelly,
03:51noticeably slimmer than her real-life counterpart.
03:53Derek, will you give me a massage?
03:59Don't you even make him?
04:02Me too.
04:02My back hurts too.
04:03I want a massage.
04:05While the young actors,
04:06including Michael Pitt's Donnie Semenek,
04:08Daniel Francesi's Derek Deverko,
04:10and Leo Fitzpatrick's Derek Kaufman,
04:12delivered powerful performances,
04:15viewers found the gratuitous nudity exploitative.
04:17So, so what?
04:19So what do you want us to do?
04:21I don't know.
04:21What do you want to do?
04:23I want the smoker to do that.
04:24All right, right.
04:25I understand that.
04:26Well, here's what I think we should do.
04:29But we're going to need a signal.
04:30So Heather...
04:30Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer.
04:33Dahmer, monster, the Jeffrey Dahmer story.
04:35When it comes to true crime,
04:37Ryan Murphy knows how to make the retellings
04:39binge-worthy and controversial.
04:41Are you still nervous?
04:42No.
04:42No.
04:43Are you scared of the movie?
04:48Are you scared of me?
04:49In the inaugural season of his monster anthology,
04:52the prolific producer told the story
04:54of Milwaukee serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer,
04:56who took the lives of over 15 young men
04:58between 1978 and 1991.
05:01Frequent Murphy collaborator Evan Peters
05:03slightly favored Dahmer,
05:05but the distinct glasses and mannerisms
05:07made the resemblance uncanny.
05:08What is that smell?
05:09My fridge broke,
05:14so I had a bunch of meat that went bad.
05:18But I got a guy coming tomorrow.
05:20Like former Disney star Ross Lynch,
05:22who played a high school version
05:23in 2017's My Friend Dahmer,
05:26Peters has a massive fan base,
05:28particularly young women.
05:29Although they were actually thirsting
05:31after shirtless Evan Peters,
05:33fans on social media found Dahmer
05:34was sympathetic and attractive.
05:37I was just joking around.
05:38Just sit down.
05:40Are you going to take me to the concert or not?
05:42Because you said you would.
05:44Yeah, I will.
05:46Despite the mixed reactions,
05:47Peters and Lynch were widely praised
05:49for their portrayals.
05:51Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein.
05:53Monster, the Ed Gein story.
05:55For the third installment of Netflix's Monster,
05:57Ryan Murphy dramatized the life and crimes
05:59of Ed Gein, aka the Butcher of Plainfield.
06:02In an episode of the Jeffrey Dahmer story,
06:05Shane Kerwin played Gein in a brief scene.
06:07Finally, he pipes up.
06:10I'd like an apple pie
06:12and a slice of cheese.
06:15Charlie Hunnam led this season,
06:17a surprising choice considering
06:19the actor's age and appearance.
06:21Often mistakenly labeled a serial killer,
06:24Ed Gein was confirmed to have murdered
06:25at least two women,
06:26though suspected of more.
06:27I just feel like I'm a puzzle.
06:31And none of the pieces fit.
06:33The notorious grave robber
06:34is mostly known for his, um,
06:36proclivity for human skin
06:38that inspired classic films,
06:39including Psycho,
06:41The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,
06:42and The Silence of the Lambs.
06:44Hunnam showed off his toned physique,
06:46drawing criticism for depicting
06:48an uncharacteristically ripped Gein.
06:50You're the one who can't look away.
06:52Peyton lists as Eileen Wuornos,
06:54Eileen Wuornos,
06:55American Boogeywoman.
06:57For many audiences,
06:58they first learned about serial killer
07:00Eileen Wuornos
07:01from Patty Jenkins' Monster.
07:03The acclaimed 2003 biopic
07:05starred Charlize Theron,
07:06who went through
07:07an impressive transformation,
07:09earning an Oscar for her portrayal.
07:10Selby,
07:12I didn't do anything.
07:14Lee.
07:19Sel.
07:20Lee, you know what I'm talking about.
07:22Set in the 1970s,
07:24Daniel Ferens'
07:25American Boogeywoman
07:26sees a 20-something Wuornos
07:27as a swindling femme fatale,
07:29forcing her way into the lavish life
07:31of affluent yacht club president
07:33Lewis Fell.
07:33Why the hell did you do this?
07:35Because I happen to be proud
07:36of the woman that I married,
07:38that's why.
07:39You know, I never asked you
07:40to paint my goddamn name
07:41and face all over town.
07:42Disney and Cobra Kai star
07:44Peyton List plays
07:45the runaway sex worker,
07:46but unlike Theron,
07:47her appearance
07:48wasn't significantly altered.
07:50Instead, the movie depicts
07:51List's Wuornos
07:52as a young, irresistible seductress.
07:55Theron's has a reputation
07:56for embellishing true crime cases
07:58for entertainment.
07:59While the real Wuornos
08:00was briefly married to Lewis Fell,
08:02American Boogeywoman
08:03takes a lot of creative liberties.
08:06I gave you my youth,
08:07my looks, my body.
08:09But everything comes
08:11with the price.
08:14And now you gotta pay.
08:16Nicholas Alexander Chavez
08:17and Cooper Koch
08:18as Lyle and Eric Menendez.
08:21Monsters,
08:21the Lyle and Eric Menendez story.
08:24When it came to season two
08:25of Monster,
08:26fans weren't sure
08:27how to feel about Ryan Murphy
08:28taking on the case
08:29of Lyle and Eric Menendez,
08:31the brothers convicted
08:32of killing their parents
08:33in 1989.
08:33I am enjoying some fine wine
08:35and some fine cheese
08:36and I'm making sure
08:37that people see us.
08:40We've been here, what,
08:41four hours now?
08:43You know what they say,
08:44time flies when you're at the taste.
08:46Cooper Koch and Nicholas
08:47Alexander Chavez,
08:48who play Eric and Lyle
08:49respectively,
08:51were acknowledged
08:51for their phenomenal performances.
08:53But most viewers
08:54were put off
08:55by the hyper-sexualization
08:56of the siblings,
08:57beginning with the teaser trailer,
08:59and called Murphy out
09:00for implying
09:01they had an intimate relationship.
09:03Are we in that will?
09:04Probably not.
09:04So we're gonna find the will
09:05and we're gonna destroy it.
09:07But until then,
09:07we are living our best lives.
09:10Okay.
09:11The homoerotic moments
09:12between Lyle and Eric,
09:14including a kiss,
09:15were especially problematic
09:16considering the brothers
09:17allegedly suffered years
09:19of their father's
09:20horrific abuse.
09:21Family members,
09:22legal professionals,
09:23and the real brothers
09:24themselves condemned
09:25Murphy's series,
09:26which they deemed
09:27inaccurate and sensationalized.
09:29Okay.
09:31Yeah?
09:32Deal.
09:33You're definitely
09:34your father's son.
09:36Zach Villa as Richard Ramirez,
09:38American Horror Story 1984.
09:41But I think I like you better.
09:44I know I do.
09:46You listen to me.
09:50Can I see your feet?
09:51Ryan Murphy doesn't just
09:52depict real-life killers
09:54in his American Crime Story
09:55and Monster anthology series.
09:57In the slasher-centric
09:58AHS 1984,
10:00one of the main characters
10:01was satanic serial killer
10:03Richard Ramirez,
10:04aka The Night Stalker,
10:05played by Zach Villa,
10:07who bears a strong resemblance
10:08to a young Ramirez.
10:09I was reborn,
10:11dead,
10:12and raised up
10:13by the unholy one himself.
10:16You think so pretty cool, DD.
10:18In addition to making
10:19a convicted murderer
10:20into a sexy,
10:21bad boy rebel,
10:22Murphy gave him
10:23supernatural abilities
10:24and a love interest
10:25who finds his brutality
10:26alluring.
10:27Like many serial killer
10:29enthusiasts who fawn
10:30over Ramirez,
10:31AHS forgoes his
10:32reportedly poor hygiene
10:33and decayed teeth,
10:35instead reimagining him
10:36as a sexy,
10:37rock star-like figure.
10:38When you know
10:39nothing can stop you,
10:42that's how it was
10:43right before I was caught.
10:46Hmm.
10:47I could have kept on
10:48killing for years.
10:49While some fans found
10:50Villa's fictionalized version
10:51compelling,
10:53others derided the series
10:54for being tasteless
10:55and disrespectful
10:55to the very real victims.
10:58The Manson family,
10:59various.
11:00Well, Terry and Candy
11:01don't live here anymore.
11:02This is the Polanski residence now.
11:04Really?
11:05You move?
11:07Dang!
11:08Cult leader Charles Manson
11:09has been the subject
11:10of countless documentaries
11:11and dramatizations,
11:13with the family
11:14regularly depicted
11:15as beautiful,
11:16scantily clad hippies.
11:17While there's truth to that,
11:19most movies and shows
11:20overly sexualize
11:21the Manson girls,
11:22namely Susan Atkins,
11:24Patricia Renwinkle,
11:25and Leslie Van Halten.
11:27For Once Upon a Time
11:27in Hollywood,
11:28Quentin Tarantino
11:29cast rising starlets
11:30Mikey Madison,
11:32Margaret Qualley,
11:33Sidney Sweeney,
11:34and heartthrob
11:35Austin Butler
11:35as family members.
11:36What do we do now?
11:38Well, we do what we came to do.
11:39And when we're done,
11:40we just split up
11:41and hitch home.
11:42Any more questions?
11:44Sometimes,
11:44Manson himself
11:45is romanticized,
11:46like when he was played
11:47by beloved
11:48Doctor Who star
11:49Matt Smith
11:49in Charlie Says.
11:51The most egregious example
11:52is 2009's
11:54Manson My Name is Evil,
11:55a campy, dark comedy
11:57centered on
11:57Christine Hager's Leslie,
11:59and a young juror's
12:00growing sexual attraction
12:01and obsession with her.
12:03What will you give me
12:04for a basket full of kisses,
12:05Leslie?
12:12I'll give you
12:13a basket full of hugs.
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12:32Zac Efron
12:32as Ted Bundy.
12:34Extremely wicked,
12:35shockingly evil,
12:36and vile.
12:37When people hear
12:38serial killer,
12:39more often than not,
12:40they're thinking
12:40of Ted Bundy.
12:41So you're not guilty?
12:44I mean,
12:44does that include
12:45the time that I stole
12:47a comic book
12:47when I was five years old?
12:50I'm not guilty.
12:51Netflix's
12:52extremely wicked,
12:53shockingly evil,
12:54and vile
12:54is based on
12:55the 1981 memoir
12:56The Phantom Prince,
12:57My Life with Ted Bundy,
12:59written by his
12:59longtime girlfriend,
13:00Elizabeth.
13:01Since it's from
13:02her perspective,
13:03the film foregoes
13:04detailing his heinous crimes,
13:06only presenting
13:06the charismatic facade.
13:08I know this is hard.
13:11Believe me,
13:12it's hard for me,
13:13too.
13:14It's so hard.
13:15And running was foolish.
13:18Bundy has often
13:19been described
13:20as handsome and charming,
13:21so casting the famously
13:23good-looking Zac Efron
13:24of high school musical fame
13:25didn't seem like
13:26too much of a stretch.
13:28Fans posted scores
13:29of thirst edits,
13:30but the director,
13:31Joe Berlinger,
13:32stood firm that his film
13:33wasn't glorifying Bundy.
13:35No true evidence
13:36should, could,
13:38or would ever
13:39be described
13:40in such terms.
13:41Your Honor,
13:42the jury.
13:43The objection is sustained.
13:45Unlike the oddly miscast
13:46Chad Michael Murray
13:47in American Boogeyman,
13:49Efron at least
13:50captured Bundy's nuances.
13:52What did you think
13:53of these casting choices?
13:54Let us know
13:55in the comments below.
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