"I was very scared." The lengths Evan Peters went to for his role as Jeffrey Dahmer.

Evan Peters doesn't like to yell or scream. 

Yep, you read that correctly. 

In a 2018 interview with GQ, the Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story actor said that although he mostly plays wicked characters, he's nothing like them at all. In fact, he's quite the opposite.

"I'm goofy, I'm silly, I like to have fun," he told the publication.

"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. [American] Horror Story sort of demanded that of me."

"It's hurting my soul and Evan as a person," he added.

Peters most recently played Jeffrey Dahmer in Ryan Murphy's Netflix series; the serial killer who murdered and dismembered 17 men and boys between between 1978 and 1991.

Viewers were left terrified, with some - including Mamamia's true crime podcast host - not being able to watch more than one episode.

Watch the trailer for Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story here. Post continues below.

In an interview with Netflix, Peters shared how he was scared to play a man who committed such heinous crimes.

"I was very scared about all of the things that Dahmer did, and diving into that and trying to commit to [playing this character] was absolutely going to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life because I wanted it to be very authentic," he told the streaming platform.

To prepare for the role, Peters watched Dahmer's infamous interview with Stone Phillips, read biographies, police reports and his confession.

"I was going to have to go to some really dark places and stay there for an extended period of time," Peters said.

"It was a challenge to try to have this person who was seemingly so normal but underneath all of it, had this entire world that he was keeping secret from everybody," he continued.

"It was so jaw-dropping that it all really happened," Peters added.

Before getting into darker roles, Peters starred in commericals and appeared in light-hearted TV and film. 

He played Seth Wosmer on Disney Channel's Phil of the Future and Russell in the 2004 tween movie Sleepover.

Peters has been a mainstay in the anthology series, American Horror Story. He's been cast in nine of the current 11 seasons, including Murder House, Asylum, Freak Show and Cult.

Evan Peters in American Horror Story: Cult. Image: FX.

When asked how he is cast in each, Peters explained the show's creator, Ryan Murphy, simply calls him up and shares which part he's chosen for him. 

"He basically just calls you and tells you what the role is. You go into it like, 'I’m not going to play anybody crazy again. I don’t want to do that. That’s too much.' Then he’s like, 'You’re playing this kind of Charles Manson–esque crazy guy.' And you’re like, 'Okay, sure,'" the actor told W Magazine. 

"But he just makes it so, I don’t know, so appealing, and makes it sound so fun and interesting to do - and always, always a challenge. Then you can’t resist, and you’re like, 'Well, maybe I could do it. Maybe I should definitely try to do that. That’ll be good.'"

In 2018, Peter told GQ that he finds some of the "sinister stuff" these characters do extremely "exhausting". 

"It’s really mentally draining, and you don’t want to go to those places ever in your life," he said.

"And so you have to go there for the scenes, and it ends up integrating somehow into your life. You’re in traffic and you find yourself screaming and you’re like, 'What the hell? This isn’t who I am'."

In 2021, Peters won an Emmy Award for his performance in the crime drama Mare of Easttown opposite Kate Winslet. He's also appeared in the X-Men films and Kick-Ass.

Evan Peters at the 2021 Primetime Emmy Awards. Image: Getty.

In his personal life, Peters dated his American Horror Story co-star Emma Roberts on-and-off for seven years. 

After meeting while filming Adult World, the actors began dating in 2013.

Although both involved in an alleged domestic violence incident, with Roberts reportedly getting arrested, the couple got engaged in 2014.

In 2015 they broke up, then continued to get back together and break up again until they officially ended their relationship in March 2019.

From 2019 to 2020, Peters dated Halsey. The singer had previously expressed her interest in the actor, writing on Twitter: "Petition for Evan Peters to date me." 

Evan Peters and Halsey at the American Horror Story 100th episode celebration. Image: Getty.

Although previously on Instagram, Peters is no longer active on any forms of social media. And it appears he is currently single.

As for what he looks for in a partner? Just someone who can get past his nervousness.

"I guess girls who give me a chance, you know? If I say the wrong thing or do something stupid or fumble or spill sh*t on my shirt, she's okay with it," Peters told Cosmopolitan in 2015.  

"She's cool and will give me another chance to say the right thing and get past my nerves and insecurity. 

"There are a lot of girls out there who don't really want to do that. But there are a lot of girls out there who do, and those are the ones - the only ones - I can really go for."

"I need a couple more chances than just the first one," he added.

Feature image: Getty.