This Is Us Star Michael Angarano's Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy Role, Explained
The former This Is Us star plays a very different role in Peacock's new limited series.
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One of America's most notorious serial killers, John Wayne Gacy remains in our collective psyche as one of society's worst human monsters. Figuring out the "why" behind his actions is why his story continues to be mined, especially as criminologists and mental health studies continue to shed light on the behavior of serial killers.
The latest examination comes with Peacock's new scripted limited series, Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, which tells Gacy's story from the perspective of his victims, and their families, and the investigators who uncovered his terrible crimes. The dramatic, eight-episode limited series is now available to binge on Peacock.
RELATED: Watch the Terrifying New Trailer for Peacock’s Limited Series Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy
The cast is led by Michael Chernus (Severance) who plays John Wayne Gacy, and includes Gabriel Luna (The Last of Us), James Badge Dale (Savant, 1923), Chris Sullivan, and Sullivan's This Is Us co-star, Michael Angarano.
Michael Angarano's role in Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy
In the new Peacock series, Angarano plays Sam Amirante. In December 1978, the recent Loyola University School of Law graduate received a phone call from an acquaintance, John Wayne Gacy, who wanted to know why the local Des Plaines Police Department had him on around-the-clock surveillance. As he was starting his own law firm, Amirante needed clients, so he agreed to help out.
Just days after, Gacy entered Amirante's office and confessed to being the serial killer of more than 30 young men, though he said he didn't remember committing the crimes. After Gacy was arrested soon after, Amirante, along with fellow lawyer Bob Motta, ended up defending him in court.
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Years later, in 2012, Amirante did an interview with the Seattle-Post Intelligencer about the case. When asked about how he was able to defend a confessed murderer, he said: "A physician takes the Hippocratic Oath; a lawyer takes an oath to protect the constitution. You focus on the issues. You focus on the matters at hand. You don't think about the type of person you are representing. You are not a psychologist or a social worker -- you are a lawyer. You are the person protecting that individual."
Amirante and Motta lost their case, and Gacy was convicted in 1980 and sentenced to death. In 1988, Amirante was appointed as an associate judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, and served in that capacity until his retirement in 2005.
Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy star Michael Angarano's previous roles
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Angarano started auditioning for roles in the late 1990s and got his first big break playing David Duchovny's son in the actor's 1995 hosted episode of Saturday Night Live. He then appeared in many New York based television series until he got his big screen break as Young William Miller in Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical feature film, Almost Famous (2000).
Angarano then appeared in Seabiscuit (2023), Lords of Dogtown (2005) and opposite Kurt Russell in Sky High (2005). On television, fans of NBC's Will & Grace will remember Angarano for his recurring episodes playing Jack's son, Elliot.
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In 2014, Angarano landed the role of Dr. Bertie Chickering, Jr. in the period medical drama, The Knick, where he first worked with his fellow, future This Is Us co-star, Chris Sullivan. It was just four years later, that Angarano would be cast in the recurring part of younger Nick Pearson (played by an older adult by Griffin Dunne), the brother of Jack (Milo Ventimiglia). The role earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2019.
Since then, Angarano has been a familiar face in several Peacock series including Angelyne and Laid, and was part of the heralded cast of Universal Picture's Oppenheimer directed by Christopher Nolan.
All eight episodes of Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy are now available to stream exclusively on Peacock.
