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Netflix's Monster: The Ed Gein Story steps into the eerie life of one of America's most notorious serial killers, Ed Gein, and has a surprising tie to another crime legend, Richard Speck. Tobin Jelinek plays Speck on the series, looking into the true figure's horrible crimes and multifaceted personality. Fans may double-take, recognizing Jelinek from previous work but still looking at him so fully in this role!
Jelinek's rehabilitation in Monster: The Ed Gein Story was both a physical and a mental transformation. Shooting on actual settings, such as Stateville Prison, where the true perpetrators were held, facilitated bringing real life to his performance. But where has Tobias Jelinek appeared earlier? Let us learn about the actor's early work and how he came to be an actor.
Tobias Jelinek's early career: Hocus Pocus
Tobias Jelinek initially became well known for his role as the teen bully Jay in the 1993 Disney movie Hocus Pocus. In the lighthearted Halloween movie that takes place in Salem, Jelinek was a troublesome teen trying to survive the wizardly mayhem of Salem.
Anything but the role he plays next in Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Jelinek has demonstrated his versatility as an actor, from comedy to gritty true-crime drama. In interviews, Jelinek himself makes a connection between his early career and playing Richard Speck years later.
Television roles and versatility
Apart from television, Tobias Jelinek has an impressive career in movie-making. Some of his appearances include guest and recurring roles in high-budget shows such as:
Stranger Things – He acted in the supernatural thriller, being adaptable to suspenseful and mysterious environments.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – His character in this Marvel Universe TV show had action-based acting and dramatic tension.
This Is Us – He acted in emotionally complex plotlines in this hit family drama.
Mayfair Witches – Venturing into supernatural horror and suspense fiction further speaks volumes about his versatility.
These credits speak to Jelinek's versatility in acting in various genres, setting him up for the intense and psychologically challenging role of Richard Speck in Monster: The Ed Gein Story.
Playing Richard Speck in Monster: The Ed Gein Story
In Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Tobias Jelinek slips into the black boots of Richard Speck, the notorious killer of eight nursing students in 1966. Even though Speck and Ed Gein (played by Charlie Hunnam) never met in life, both of their lives are joined together in this series to explore the bigger picture of crime in the mid-20th century.
Jelinek explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that,
"I worked with a wonderful effects team to transform physically. I played a lot, I walked the line in terms of how deep I’d go into the true story of Richard Speck and his true physicality and where I wanted to go in my imagination"
He added,
"Being in that prison and putting on those heels, it was phenomenal! I was in there, you have all of the inmates, they open the door, and they’re all cat-calling. It was on grated metal, and I’m trying to walk in these stilettos. It was quite a feat!"
Shooting on location at Stateville Prison, where Gein and Speck were imprisoned, gave realism to the scenes and allowed the actor to become acquainted with the surroundings of the actual criminals. Emotional intensity with contained sensitivity was required for the role so that the character of Speck could be accurately brought to life without irritating him through means of his crimes.
Career development through Monster: The Ed Gein Story
Jelinek's varied body of work, from Hocus Pocus to TV dramas, paved the way for his introspective approach to Speck. His initial stand-up comedy enabled him to refine his timing and stage presence, and his television work honed his ability in drama, suspense, and emotional range.
Working as Richard Speck represents a departure from Jelinek's more lighthearted and whimsical characters. However, it does help to show how the work of an actor in various genres can work its way up towards acting in a role that requires depth, research, and seriousness for historical accuracy.
Awards and audience connection
Die-hard fans of Hocus Pocus' Tobias Jelinek may be surprised to see him play a role as evil. This speaks to the actor's range and capacity for complete transformation into a role. His career is an indication that actors are more apt to retain underlying skills from past work to apply to others, even if the material is largely different.
In the interview with Remind Magazine, Jelinek tells how playing Speck was also about generating debate.
"Initially, I was very drawn to the fact that we are meeting my character, Richard Speck, after he transitioned in prison. When I found out we would be shooting at Stateville Prison, where Speck and John Wayne Gacy were actually incarcerated, I knew Ryan Murphy was taking this season to the next level,
Although it is a horrific tale, he was more interested in character development and the relevance the story had to Ed Gein than in sensationalizing criminal activity.
Other important works
Though Monster: The Ed Gein Story is his most dramatic to date, Jelinek still maintains a range of types of projects, alternating between dramatic, comic, and genre-specific roles. His strategy indicates the value of range and versatility to a decades-long acting career.
From children's entertainment through psychological true-crime thrillers, the trajectory of Jelinek's career maps how, throughout decades, actors become increasingly sophisticated and demanding as characters.
Tobias Jelinek's appearance as Richard Speck in Monster: The Ed Gein Story brings new depth to his filmography, connecting his start as an actor in Hocus Pocus to a grueling true-crime drama. Fans who know him from teen roles or television programs might be surprised at the radical change, but it also shows how capable and versatile he is as a performer.
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While Monster: The Ed Gein Story is centered on Ed Gein, the addition of Jelinek as Richard Speck makes the series greater and offers an in-depth look at historical criminals. By doing both, the show allows the audience to enjoy both the historical prevalence of the show and the level of performance needed to make these scary icons real.
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