Niecy Nash-Betts on her tragic personal connection to “Dahmer”

In 1993, Niecy Nash-Betts faced tragedy. Her 17-year-old brother, Michael Ensley, was shot and killed at his high school in California.

Nash-Betts personally experienced the worst version of the loss. That’s why when Netflix’s “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” was condemned by the families of the victims, she had a unique take on the criticism.

“My brother was murdered on his high school campus. And you never forget,” Nash-Betts says through tears. “You are remembered if you pass a cemetery, by a favorite song, a smell, a memory, a photo. If a loved one died in a horrific way, it will be with you for the rest of your life, not just because of a TV show, so the point would be – how do people remember them? I hope we find some solace in introducing your loved ones to the world, and not just having them just be a faceless, nameless person connected to this matter. That’s what I was praying for. »

Dahmer killed 17 young men. He targeted gay men of color and preyed on his victims in an underpoliced ​​area of ​​Milwaukee. Despite criticism surrounding “Dahmer” – with victims’ families slamming Ryan Murphy’s limited series for again spotlighting the serial killer – the show differed from past accounts of Dahmer’s crimes by highlighting systemic racism. and the problematic police forces that allowed Dahmer to get away with murder for so long.

All the talk surrounding the show has made “Dahmer” one of Netflix’s most-watched shows of all time, surpassing one billion hours watched in just 60 days, joining an elite club of hits like “Stranger Things” and “Squid Game”. ”

When asked why “Dahmer” has become such a sensation, Nash-Betts isn’t entirely sure. “It’s something I didn’t see coming,” she says. But she thinks the popularity has something to do with the lingering themes plaguing society today.

“This story is timeless. We are backing down on our laws right now,” Nash-Betts says. “Today there are people, because of their appearance, who are not believed and who are abused, mistreated, exploited and murdered, even by the police. A lot of the themes of the series, you can go out and find it right outside the front door.

Nash-Betts draws a comparison to the police handling of Dahmer’s heinous crimes: “If there were blacks and browns doing all these mass shootings today, gun reform would happen in one wink. Systematic racism and differential treatment are still very much alive. »

In “Monster,” Nash-Betts is the heartbeat of the series, playing Glenda Cleveland, Dahmer’s neighbor who lived in the apartment next door where he killed most of his victims. After smelling an incessant foul odor and hearing disturbing noises, Cleveland called the police to alert them. Despite repeatedly reporting Dahmer’s alarming behavior, authorities turned a blind eye and refused to listen to Cleveland, a black woman.

Nash-Betts did not take the weight of her role lightly and knew that in portraying Cleveland she represented an entire community and history of black women who have been ignored, unseen and unheard.

“To be honest, I didn’t know much about Glenda’s story or the victims,” ​​Nash-Betts says. “There were so many nameless and faceless people who were lumped together because Jeffrey Dahmer was at the forefront of the story. What I liked about Ryan Murphy is that he said that story would not be told from his point of view. He really wanted people to see the collateral damage of these victims. And even though Glenda was not killed by Jeffrey Dahmer, she was, indeed, one of his victims .

Nash-Betts says she signed up for the series not knowing what the project was about. When Murphy called her, she said yes. Once she read the script, she asked why he chose her for the role. “He said, ‘Because I knew you were the one who could portray that character and make people feel what that woman felt. “(In light of the writers’ strike, Murphy was unable to speak to Variety for this story, but he publicly praised Nash-Betts’ performance and commitment to the role.)

Cleveland died in 2011 at the age of 56. Without being able to consult her, Nash-Betts felt an immense responsibility to tell her story, so that the world could see her as the hero she was.

“His torture lasted a long time. I didn’t know his pain,” Nash-Betts says. “It almost brings me to tears when I think about it, it’s because I’m so grateful to have been a conduit for his voice to be heard.”

Nash-Betts felt a connection to Cleveland while preparing for the role. “I’ve been in spaces in places where I wasn’t believed. I’ve been to places where I never felt heard,” she says. “There’s always something you take with you from a character. I went home and said to my kids, ‘You speak your truth — and you say it loudly and you say it often, even though your voice is shaking.”

Best known for her comedic roles in “Reno 911,” “Soul Man” and “Getting On,” Nash-Betts got to flex her dramatic muscles in “Monster.” She was applauded by critics and fans for her heartfelt performance, tapping into the strength and heartbreak of Cleveland with raw, scene-stealing honesty – even when sharing the screen with Evan Peters, whose impressive portrayal and Dahmer’s Strange has made him one of the hottest actors of awards season.

“It took me a long time to even be seen for this kind of work,” says Nash-Betts. “I just kept trying to say, ‘God, I wish people could see me as I see myself. I was born funny. I don’t have to work for this. But that, I had to roll up my sleeves and get into the trenches not only to be seen, but also to be able to be cast.

She corrects herself quickly. “I don’t want to minimize the fact that I’m funny and obscure any part of my gift,” Nash-Betts adds. “But I was considered a one-trick pony for a long time, and I kept saying, ‘There’s more. I think some of my opinions were maybe a little narrow. I don’t want to put words in people’s mouths, but it was just a bit narrow and I was happy to invite the industry and my peers to see me differently.

Peters talked about her need to stay in character as Dahmer throughout filming “Monster,” but Nash-Betts’ process was different, and she craved lightness with the dark material. His real-life daughter, Dia Nash, plays his on-screen daughter on the show. On set, her daughter helped keep mom’s spirits up.

“At maybe one in the morning, we had to do the scenes where we were in court, and it was heavy,” Nash-Betts recalled. “And she was like, ‘Hey, mom, do you want to do a TikTok?’ I was like, ‘Girl, I’m so glad you’re here.’ I needed that lightness and brightness to make up for it all. But for Evan, because he had this burden on him to be so dark, we really had to protect him. Evan had a lot to bear to do the things right. things. For him. When he entered his process, it was better that he stay there.

As Nash-Betts looks to the future, she hopes to explore a range of roles. “I just want creatives to know they can trust me with their work, no matter where it falls on the spectrum between comedy and drama,” she says.

And it’s not like “Dahmer” was her first hit in the drama space: In 2020, she returned to “Mrs. America” and in 2019, she earned an Emmy nomination for her role in “ Netflix’s When They See Us,” in which she played the mother of one of the wrongfully incarcerated men, Korey Wise (played by Jharrel Jerome), in Ava DuVernay’s retelling of the Central Park Five case.

The versatile performer recently hosted the second season of Fox’s renewal of the game show “Don’t Forget the Lyrics,” and she’s keeping her fingers crossed for a renewal of her ABC police procedural, “The Rookie: Feds,” which remains on the bubble. “I love my job so much, I love the people I work with and I love that I get to work with my better half there,” she says of his wife, musician Jessica Betts, who plays his love. .

Although her “Rookie: Feds” character, Simone, couldn’t be more different than Glenda Cleveland, Nash-Betts sees a common thread: she plays two particularly strong women.

“What I love about this particular character is that I haven’t seen her on mainstream television,” she says of “Rookie: Feds.” “I’m happy for little black and brown girls to see something they can aspire to,” she adds. “Less than 1% of black women make up the FBI, and that’s a black woman over 40 in the FBI. She is not married. She’s an equal opportunity lover, if you know what I mean. Like, who is this unicorn? If she was a real person, she would definitely be my girlfriend. She’s in her second act and she’s making the most of it.

For Nash-Betts, it seems that art imitates life.