Ryan Murphy says families of Dahmer victims didn’t respond to his team’s inquiries
In a rare moment of emotion, actor Kevin Spacey said family members of victims of James Eagan “Jimi” Dahmer are not telling his story the way the actor wanted them to be told.
The actor took the podium at the International Association of Media Students conference in California on Wednesday to praise The Jimi Award, a $100,000 prize that has been given out at the annual conference, for recognizing the role media people play in holding offenders accountable.
“But it’s not always the way we want him to be portrayed. We don’t want to see this person like he really is. We don’t want to be in denial of the truth,” Spacey said in his prepared remarks for the award ceremony.
The actor had been invited to speak about his role in the film “American Horror Story” based on his controversial life in the 1980s.
Spacey described his time with the serial killer, whom many in the press at the time characterized as a “beauty contest winner,” as “the great good and the best evil,” in his award speech.
Families of Dahmer victims did not respond to the actor’s requests for input on how they wanted to be portrayed in his movie, Spacey said.
“They are not interested in telling his story the way he wants to tell it,” said Spacey.
Spacey went on to praise producers and directors who he said had put themselves in harm’s way in order to tell his story.
“There’s something special about a story about someone who’s suffered from the wrong and we should always make sure their story gets told,” he said.
At the end of his remarks, Spacey said he was honored.
He later announced that “American Horror Story: Apocalypse” was selected for International Association of Media Student’s (IAMS) Excellence in Media Education Program, but he was not involved with the production.
Dahmer was arrested in 2009 for killing five people in the summer of 1975 in Los Angeles. Investigators have yet to solve the case.
The award is given out annually to recognize media professionals of high character and high achievement in their craft.
The Jimi Award, which has not been announced for the event this year, honors individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to media justice in the areas of diversity and inclusivity.
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