'AHS:Hotel' Postmortem: 'Nip/Tuck' Alum Reached Far Outside His 'Comfort Zone' to Play Jeffrey Dahmer's Ghost

It had been 10 years since Seth Gabel worked with Ryan Murphy on Nip/Tuck. So when an offer to play “Devil’s Night” dinner guest Jeffrey Dahmer — the notorious killer who spent years collecting genitalia in jars, murdering young men, sleeping with their corpses, and occasionally eating their flesh — on American Horror Story came out of the blue, the Salem star wasn’t sure he should be thrilled or concerned. “You hope you aren’t the first choice because you remind them of a serial killer who committed horrifying acts,” Gabel tells Yahoo TV. “You tell yourself it is because they think you have the skills to take on such an intense role. I’m sticking with that.”

So after spending all day researching real-life inspirations for Hotel and watching the “Devil’s Night” just before bed, I was completely freaked out and couldn’t sleep, so I guess mission accomplished.
[Laughing] Thanks. And also sorry. I actually haven’t seen the episode yet because my wife [Bryce Dallas Howard] can’t watch the show at night — she can barely watch it at all because it freaks her out — and she wanted to watch it together. It is good to hear we achieved what we set out to do.

You worked with Ryan Murphy on Nip/Tuck 10 years ago, but wondering how this came about? Did you audition or had you kept in touch?
The opportunity came totally out of the blue. My agent called and said, “Ryan wants you to play Jeffrey Dahmer. There’s no script available… ” Before he could even finish the pitch, I said, “Yes. Definitely.” I jumped at the chance to work with him again after such a good experience on Nip/Tuck. I was so grateful for my time on that series. It was one of my first jobs after moving to LA and I felt like it put me on the path of the kind of work I wanted to do, which was better than the quality of the WB shows happening at the time. But then I had to wait and wait. I had no idea what to expect for the longest time because there was no script and no information.

Is that a compliment that after so many years you are his immediate go-to choice to play one of the most notorious serial killers of all time? Or does it give you pause?
It definitely gives you pause. I started thinking about all the sitcom auditions I’d gone on over the years and didn’t get the parts and you start wondering, “Is there something off about me? Do I come off creepy?” I guess there is a bit of a physical resemblance especially if I put those horrible glasses on. But it is also a compliment that someone comes to you and assumes you can handle something this meaty. I have learned to embrace challenging myself and taking on something outside my comfort zone. And playing Jeffrey Dahmer was the most out of my comfort zone that I have ever been.

Did you do a ton of research?
Yes. I was really nervous going into this. I can go full psycho easily when I know it is pretend, but when the character is a real person it changes things. Ever since I had kids that kind of stuff has become even harder. It is so chilling and haunting to think about the evil real men do. So I tried to figure out a way to safely research Jeffrey and get inside his head. I tried to find his motivation for doing these things without judging him.

What is your take on him after doing the homework?
I think some people are wired. I was talking to a psychiatrist about serial killers before filming and he was saying that there is a theory that certain humans are more tuned into the predatory instinct and that leads them to this life. They have a primal need to kill.

Related: ‘American Horror Story’: Your Guide to the True-Life Horror Stories that Inspired ‘Hotel’

But what I found with Jeffrey was that so much of what he did seemed to be motivated by the repression of his homosexuality and feeling ashamed for being a gay man. My interpretation of him was that he was filled with self-loathing and that manifested in the anger and hate. He started drinking at a really early age, like 11, so I think his brain wired differently and his understanding of consequences was disconnected. He just wanted what he wanted and got addicted to that pursuit of pleasure and the killing and necrophilia became part of the pursuit.

So when you finally get the script and go to the set, what happened?
It was a relief to all of us to play those parts in a setting where we had each other. No one was alone, going too deep. I latched onto that fantasy element of the gathering to keep it from going too dark. I could get swept up in that fantasy instead of the stark reality of it.

Everyone says the set helps you find the character.
You are instantly immersed in a totally new realm. What I love about Ryan is that he spends as much time on little details like what color the napkins are or how much of a fuzzed out photo in the background an audience can see as he does on casting and what elements are front and center in a scene. I love that because when you are there and in it, it feels like everything is being done in service to making as close to high art as you can. The second you walk in you feel like you are transported. You go on that ride. The hotel lobby is incredible with all of its art deco elements. It is an entire soundstage and it is designed like a five-star hotel. You look around and think, ‘This would be the coolest hotel ever. I’d stay here.”

Devil’s Night was filled with a who’s who of awful, violent murderers, but the Cortez is also home to myriad other ghosts, manipulative junkies, bloodsuckers, and so on. Who would you be the most scared to share an elevator with?
Easy. That flesh-covered creature with the giant iron sexual torture device. That visual is going to haunt me for years.

Poor Max Greenfield. He’s going to need therapy after meeting Drilldo.
I don’t know that I could have worked with Drilldo so I’m glad I didn’t have to. I fear the Drilldo.

Do you find that you are trying to get inside information or do you calmly watch and let it unfold at its own pace?
Both. You are dying to understand the mystery behind the hotel and you want to figure out how all the seasons are linked, but then I also like to just surrender and go on the ride. Usually, I’m watching and trying to solve it all and then Drilldo appears and I stop thinking with my head. My heart is pounding, my eyes are closing, and it becomes about being freaked out and simply enjoying it. It also doesn’t help to know people because no one will tell you anything.

It is no secret that Murphy runs the franchise like a theater company with the same actors playing different roles every season. And once you’re in, it’s almost as hard to leave as Scientology.
That’s good news. I definitely would return if asked. Any opportunity to play in one of Ryan’s worlds is worthwhile to me. He is always trying to make something great and fresh and he does the work. He commits 100 percent and that is the kind of person you want to surround yourself with. I think he also has a unique sense of humor and if you get it his twisted campiness and sardonic wit, he will keep you around and keep trusting you to try something new.

American Horror Story: Hotel airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on FX.