Ross Lynch, Former Disney Star, Plays Jeffrey Dahmer In ‘My Friend Dahmer’

Former Disney star Ross Lynch took on the role of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in My Friend Dahmer.

ROSS LYNCH PLAYS JEFFREY DAHMER

Lynch is best known for playing Austin Moon on the popular Disney show Austin & Ally. The 21-year-old actor has matured since then and decided to play the exceedingly dark cannibalistic serial killer Dahmer. He raped, murdered, and dismembered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991.

“Although you know he’s going to become a serial killer, it’s not hard to think of him as a human because he once was,” Lynch said of Dahmer. “And really, our film takes place at the time when he’s losing his humanity, when he’s becoming this monster. So, we have to start with him with his humanity.”

The actor admitted he had not heard of Dahmer before auditioning for the role, but did as much research as he could. “Once you start reading one sentence about Jeffrey Dahmer, it usually leads to hours of researching the things that he did because they’re unbelievable, like the definition of the word unbelievable,” Lynch said.

The indie film came together from the minds of filmmaker Marc Meyers and cartoonist Derf Backderf, who had created the graphic novel of the same title. “The main thing was just his walk,” Lynch says of becoming Dahmer. “I remember him walking into the room in this particular interview, and just kind of being shocked at how he moved. He’s such a big body, and he looks taller than everyone in the room, and he was, like, shuffling his feet, and his body was curled over a little bit, almost like he was insecure of his height or himself – it just really struck me.”

>READ: uInterview WITH OFFICER WHO CAUGHT DAHMER

Berkdorf agreed and was impressed with Lynch’s ability to transform into the infamous killer. “Ross is astounding in this role. I mean, he just absolutely nails it,” says the cartoonist. “Dahmer was never comfortable in this world. He was never at ease, and he carried himself like he didn’t fit in. And that was a physical manifestation of what was going on in his head.”

Lynch also realizes this film marks a big change in his career, but it’s one he is ready for. “It’s not as family-friendly, but you know it’s interesting. I do have a lot of younger fans, but you find that a lot of their parents are fans, too, because they end up watching the show and the movies, end up listening to the music in the car. So, a lot of the parents are equally almost as much of a fan,” Lynch added.

My Friend Dahmer is now showing in select theaters.