“There’s always something that you take with you from a character. I’ve been in spaces in places where I just never felt heard,” she says. “I’ve been in spaces in places where I was not believed. Nash-Betts felt a connection to Cleveland when preparing for the role. “It almost brings me to tears when I think about it is because I am so grateful that I was a conduit for her voice being heard.” I didn’t know her pain,” Nash-Betts says. Without being able to consult her, Nash-Betts felt immense responsibility in telling her story, so the world could see her as the hero she was. Niecy Nash-Betts felt a connection to Glenda Cleveland, who she portrayed in “Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.” COURTESY OF NETFLIXĬleveland died in 2011 at the age of 56. “He said, ‘Because I knew you were the one who could embody this character and make people feel what this woman felt.’” (In light of the writers strike, Murphy was not able to speak to Variety for this story, but he has publicly praised Nash-Betts’ performance and commitment to the role.) Once she read the script, she asked why he chose her for the role. Nash-Betts says she signed onto the series without knowing what the project was about. And even though Glenda was not killed by Jeffrey Dahmer, she was, indeed, one of his victims.” He really wanted people to see the collateral damage to these victims. What I appreciated about Ryan Murphy was that he said this story will not be told from his point of view. “There were so many nameless, faceless people that got all lumped together because Jeffrey Dahmer was at the forefront of the story. “To be honest, I didn’t know much about Glenda’s story or the victims,” Nash-Betts says. Nash-Betts did not take the weight of her role lightly, and knew that by portraying Cleveland, she was representing an entire community and history of Black women who have been ignored, unseen and unheard. Despite reporting Dahmer’s alarming behavior numerous times, the authorities turned a blind eye and refused to listen to Cleveland, a Black woman. After smelling an incessant foul stench and hearing unsettling noises, Cleveland called the police to alert them. In “Monster,” Nash-Betts is the heartbeat of the show, playing Glenda Cleveland, Dahmer’s neighbor who lived in the apartment next door where he killed most of his victims. Systematic racism and differential treatment are still alive and well.” Nash-Betts draws a comparison to the police’s handling of Dahmer’s heinous crimes: “If there were Black and brown people doing all of these mass shootings today, gun reform would happen in a heartbeat. A lot of the themes of the series, you can go outside and find them right outside the front door.” “Today, there are people, based on just how they look, who are not believed and are abused, misused, taken advantage of and murdered, even by police. We are going backwards in our laws right now,” Nash-Betts says. But she believes the popularity has something to do with the enduring themes plaguing society today. “It’s a phenomenon I didn’t see coming,” she says. When asked why “Dahmer” became such a sensation, Nash-Betts isn’t quite sure. All of the discourse surrounding the show made “Dahmer” one of Netflix’s most-watched shows of all time, surpassing one billion hours of viewing time in just 60 days, joining an elite club of hits like “Stranger Things” and “Squid Game.”
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