‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’: Actor Karen Malina White Says Series Wanted to Honor the Victims of Color: ‘They Had Hopes and Dreams and Wonderful Families Who Loved Them’
Netflix‘s Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has ruffled more than a few feathers since its debut. The series follows the Milwaukee serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in a dramatization of his story and that of his male victims. In an interview with Showbiz Cheatsheet, actor Karen Malina White, who played Shirley Hughes, breaks down what the Dahmer series set out to do and spotlights the victims of color who encountered a terrible evil.
Hearing the victims’ stories pushed Karen Malina White to do ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’
From Ted Bundy to the Night Stalker, Jeffrey Dahmer proved to make the ranks of pure evil. The Netflix series unearthed and reignited morbid curiosity about Dahmer. But before being cast in Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, White had little knowledge of the killer.
“I certainly just heard all the salacious stuff, you know, the cannibalism and things like that. I mean, I remember finding body parts in the freezer and those kinds of things but not knowing anything about the young men who were victimized by him,” explained the actor. Only after getting the role of Shirley Hughes did White learn more. But instead of curiosity about Dahmer, White found reason to explore the heartbreaking stories of his male victims of color and their families.
“It really likened me to really want to do the role, to really highlight the life of these young men. They had hopes and dreams and wonderful families who loved them. They were just going about their lives, full of hope and joy,” explained White. Despite targeting young men and men in their 20s or 30s, Dahmer had a clear victim pool.
A blonde, white suburban man targeted male victims of color, with a majority being gay, like Anthony Hughes. In Dahmer’s reign of terror, he killed 17 men of varying ages. Some of the most heartbreaking stories involved 14-year-old Konerak Sinthasomphone, who was willingly brought back to Dahmer’s apartment by police.
The Netflix series explores racism by authorities and the lack of protection against evil
There is no shortage of docu-series and series centered on the world’s most gruesome crimes and killers. Shortly after the Dahmer series, Netflix released Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes. Dahmer’s story was at the center of social media and news outlets. But White explains Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story attempted to portray social issues that are still prevalent today.
Audiences soon learned about the negligence on behalf of the police. Dahmer’s neighbor, played Niecy Nash, alerted authorities multiple times of sounds and smells from his apartment. Police never listened, even more so when a dazed and bleeding Konerak was allowed to return with Dahmer.
“The racism that even played into this, you know, from the police. How the white skin privilege can allow somebody to get away with crime for decades,” explained White. “Just the lack of response to the value of the life of these men and how long it took them to catch Dahmer and because of some of that bias and racism. There are many things that can be taken away. It does highlight that kind of evil that exists and then that these men encountered.”
White explains the battles the victims and characters of color portrayed in Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story still exist in modern times. “It wasn’t until we had camera phones, you know, that people got to see what we’ve been saying for many years, for decades,” said the actor. “What we wanted to highlight was, was really that the life of these young men who were full of life, full of dreams and hopes, and had people who loved them. They were ordinary men who may have been gay, may not, and were just living their lives and encountered this kind of evil,” said White.
Did Karen Malina White feel the eeriness of ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story‘?
Watching the Netflix series is difficult, as it took some creative license to bring the story to life. Evan Peters starred as Dahmer and effectively scared the living witts out of all viewers. Beyond how Dahmer was portrayed, with yellow eyes and all, the story of Anthony, Konerak, and the other victims strikes heartache.
White explains that she and her castmates found ways to make filming lighthearted and fun compared to the heavy storyline. “The scenes that I’m in, other than the trial, it’s really about me, and my kids and our family, and our love was just wonderful,” said White. She praised her co-stars and Rodney Buford, who played Anthony.
“But once we stopped and before we got to another take, we were just having fun and joking around and keeping it upbeat and light when we could because it was so heavy. And so I was a bit removed from the gore,” explained White. Despite the controversy surrounding the series, White found a resonating purpose to tell the victims’ stories.
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is available on Netflix.
