Niecy Nash-Bates, who won her first Emmy playing whistleblower neighbor Glenda Cleveland for Netflix’s Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, is back in a new role in Ryan Murphy’s another body horror film Grotesquerie. She plays detective Lois Tryon who teams up with nun-journalist Sister Megan Duval (Michaela Diamond) to uncover the motive behind a number of gruesome murders that may be connected to supernatural activity.
In addition to tracking down the serial killer, Tyrone also deals with his tumultuous relationship with his daughter (Raven Goodwin), while also caring for her husband (Courtney B. Vance), who is in the hospital for an extended period of time.
From the show’s title and the recently released trailer, it’s clear that the series deals with themes of cult practices and other religious supernatural activities. When Nash-Bates first read the script she was disturbed by its dark themes. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she admitted that her “head exploded.”
“Where does it come from, Ryan? Who are you on the inside? What’s going on in your mind?” she remembered saying to the director. To which he replied, “I don’t know. That’s just who I am, girlfriend.” The Reno 911: Miami actress confessed she was scared after reading the script because it’s “a huge task” especially for her playing Lois – the officer who investigates and witnesses the horrors.
“Playing Lois was very difficult for me and my instrument. So I said, ‘Let me take charge. Let me lead. Let’s do it,'” she added. When asked what aspect of the role she found interesting, Bates replied that she is always eager to play roles she has never done before. “She’s very troubled and very tortured, but at the same time, she has a huge responsibility” and has to try to stop the murders.
The actress added, “There’s also a level of mental fatigue and anguish that she deals with.” Overall, her character felt dynamic and unique, and she faced many challenges in her life, making her role as Nash Bates very interesting.
Grotesquerie will be released on September 25.