Halloween is around the corner and Hocus Pocus star Tobias Jelinek, 48, spooked us all with his complete transformation for his latest role portraying mass murderer Richard Speck in Netflix's Monster: The Ed Gein Story. The series was shot at the Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois, where Richard was kept until he passed away in 1991. Richard was incarcerated for killing eight student nurses and he idolized serial killer Ed Gein. Despite Tobias making his appearance in the season finale's last few scenes, his acting left a mark on viewers who grew up watching him portray Jay in the hit Disney channel film when he was only 15.
Tobias shared his major transformation on social media and fans flocked to the comments. One person wrote: "Such a disturbing character that was the highlight of the series. Brilliant actor...But something I can't unsee...Great work x." A second person added: "This episode gave me the craziest chills! Fantastic job!! It scared the [expletive] out of my household!" A third person commented: "Well played sir, I was genuinely traumatized by your scenes yet couldn't look away."
© NetflixWhen it came to Tobias' physical transformation, he dedicated his all. He shared with Entertainment Weekly: "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. And of course, the clothes." Tobias was seen wearing a padded bra, heels and a bob haircut while smoking in a jail scene.
© Getty ImagesAfter he transformed into his character thanks to his dedicated team, he got an interesting hands-on experience from actual inmates in the jail. He revealed: "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!"
© Getty ImagesTobias expressed that even before he took on the role, the script got his immediate attention. He explained: "The writing was very good and did a lot for me in terms of dropping into the world of Ed Gein. Ed Gein, in the story, you end up having empathy in a certain respect. When the show ends, it's seeing, in part, why he did what he did. The biggest question is mental health. If he sought help earlier, would it have been a different story?"
© Getty ImagesThe actor psychologically analyzed Richard in order to tap into his role. He added: "[Richard is] like the antichrist. There's no redemption for him, but for Ed Gein, it's begging the question. And I see a lot of interesting conversations coming up because of it. I think that's the point — you have people talking about it." Tobias was open to portraying a complicated character and he wanted to challenge himself as an actor. He expressed: "[Richard is] a very troubling, complex character. The writing allowed me to go in without any hesitation and push it."
