From his child actor commercial work to his roles as notorious serial killers,
Evan Peters has flexed his acting chops at every
step of his career. Here's what you might not know about the rising star.
Evan Peters' road to leading man had humble beginnings. At fifteen, he made his way to
Hollywood and started off as a bright-eyed youngster in commercials. And he starred in a lot
of them. He appeared in ads for Sony PlayStation, Progressive Insurance, and Corn Pops, to name a
few. Peters' mom, Julie, recalled those early days in an interview with MLive. She remembered,
"It was a busy year. He got [a] movie, then a commercial for Sony PlayStation,
four or five episodes of Phil of the Future, and they just kept coming. At the end of two years,
he was able to pitch in and pay for some of the bills."
Then there was an ad that involved candy. In a commercial for Sour Patch Kids,
the ad's script followed the tagline, "First they're sour,
then they're sweet." Peters recalled the ad in an interview with W, explaining,
"The Sour Patch Kid throws eggs at me,
at my front door, and then comes over and gives me a hug at the end."
Peters went on to describe his teenage self mistakenly
thinking producers might sweeten his deals.
"They don't give you anything. I thought I was gonna get Sour Patch Kids. I thought I was gonna
get a PlayStation. I didn't get anything, but I did like it. I thought they were fun."
The 2004 movie Sleepover features early appearances by future stars,
including Steve Carell less than a year before his debut on The Office,
a very young Brie Larson, and Evan Peters as a youthful skateboarder.
In an interview with About.com, Peters confessed to a lack of skateboard skills.
"I suck really bad. They actually had to hire a guy named Stacey Lowery who
is a professional skateboarder to come and try and teach me."
Though it may have been overkill to learn professionally, Peters claimed the coaching
was mildly successful. Unfortunately, however, his co-stars witnessed the growing pains
that came along with learning a new sport. He admitted his worst accident occurred on camera.
"I was skateboarding up and I just completely ate it right
in the middle of the take. It hurt, but you bounce back."
While making the 2012 film Adult World, Emma Roberts and Evan Peters met, and sparks flew — at
least in the eyes of their castmates. In an interview on Chelsea Lately, Roberts confessed,
"I actually, on the set, was like, 'Oh yeah, we're totally gonna date.' And I would like
flirt with him, which ended up looking like I had something in my eye because I'd be like,
'Hey, what's up?' And he literally didn't speak to me the entire movie. He thought I was so weird."
But Peters made the first move afterward, asking Roberts out on a date via text.
Peters shared his side of the story in an interview with Vulture.
"At the time I was a more introverted actor, trying to kind of stay into it
and stay focused and not talk too much. But, yeah, I tried to talk to her a few times and,
I don’t know, I kept saying the wrong thing. I was really kind of awkward and stupid and like,
'Oh God, this is just not working out well. I’m just going to shut up and not talk.'"
The two did end up dating. They burned brightly only to then burn out — on
multiple occasions. Their relationship drama included a "misunderstanding" in
a Montreal hotel in which Peters ended up with a bloody nose and a bite mark
and Roberts ended up arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. Nothing came of it,
because Peters didn't press charges. And five months later, the pair were engaged.
Then it was off, then on again, then off again, with Peters erasing all traces of Roberts from
his social media. That is, until they were back on, then, finally and permanently off.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm holding your neck so you don't get whiplash."
"What?"
"Whip. Lash."
The real reason Evan Peters decided to become an actor started with an innocent, childhood
crush. The objects of his affection? The Olsen twins. In an interview with MLive, Peters talked
about starting acting classes as a teenager living in Flint, Michigan, admitting that,
"I got bit by the acting bug. But mostly I wanted to meet the Olsen twins. They were 15,
I was 15 ... the acting thing seemed like the best way."
It took a while, though. Jump forward many years, and Peters' big moment
finally arrived when he scored an invite to the premiere for the twins' final movie,
New York Minute. But it was not to be. As Peters described it in an interview with MLive,
"I started sweating and freaking out and froze. I couldn't meet them. I blew it."
But while he failed at his first shot, Peters did eventually get to meet one of the twins.
"I met Ashley. She's sweet. I was a little nervous,
but she was cool. By that time, my crush had changed and moved on."
Evan Peters was born in St. Louis, Missouri, but when he was a young teenager, his family
moved to Michigan. Once in The Wolverine State, Evan began to blossom and turned to
acting as a hobby. Gradually, it became more, and he began to consider giving the business
a shot. Evan and his mom traveled to Florida for a talent conference, where Evan won some
awards for acting and a recommendation to an agent in LA. As Peters' mom put it to MLive,
"Everybody seemed to think he had something."
Based on the advice and encouragement, the entire Peters family headed to California on
a combined vacation and fact-finding mission for Evan's future. In very short order,
he had representation and was going out on auditions. Peters' dad recalled to MLive,
"The talent manager said that a year was enough time to know if he could succeed or not."
So while Mr. Peters went back to Michigan to keep the home fires burning,
Julie and Evan stayed in Los Angeles to give it a year. While his mother
returned to Michigan a few years later, Evan never looked back.
Once he'd made it out to Los Angeles, Evan Peters started working pretty quickly. Ten years
and many performances later, audiences may have thought they knew all there was to know about the
actor. Then he showed off his surprising vocal chops in an episode of American Horror Story:
Freak Show. As "Lobster Boy," Peters covered Nirvana's iconic hit "Come as You
Are." During a sit down with Interview, the actor reminisced about channeling his inner rock star.
"I'm not changing anything. That's the song. That's how I'm doing it."
He said,
"What I was most nervous about was performing and shooting it. In the booth, you’re singing
and it’s fun and you’re joking around. … I like making music so that was fun. But shooting it,
the whole music video vibe was very weird and I felt uncomfortable in my own skin."
Still, he nailed it and hoped he'd get another chance to show off his
vocal abilities when Lady Gaga was cast in the following season. Unfortunately,
creator Ryan Murphy had other ideas for American Horror Story: Hotel. But now
that word is out about Peters' voice, odds are it won't be the last time we hear it.
After the split from Emma Roberts, Evan Peters became one of Hollywood's most eligible bachelors.
Then, in October 2019, dating rumors about Peters and singer Halsey began to appear.
When the news broke, fans sussed out the fact that Halsey's attraction to
Peters started years before. In a 2012 tweet, the singer wrote,
"Seriously Evan Peters stop making me attracted to alleged sociopaths and accused murderers."
Then, in 2013, she upped the ante with a tweet that read:
"Petition for Evan Peters to date me"
In 2020, the two celebrated Valentine's Day together in
Switzerland. Halsey posted a cute photo of herself
on Peters' shoulders in a pool with the Alps in the background. She captioned the shot,
"'Life is going swimmingly. Happy Valentine's Day.'"
However, just a month later, Halsey deleted every post that included Peters,
except for the one from V-Day. Halsey's now married to screenwriter Alev Aydin
and they have a child together, while Peters continues to play the field.
One of Evan Peters' earliest childhood memories involved the horror genre — perhaps foretelling
his future. In a 2018 interview with W, Peters explained that,
"My older sister showed me Hellraiser when I was like four,
and Friday the 13th. She kind of scarred me,
but I like watching scary movies with people because you’re together in this scary situation."
Despite his familiarity with the genre, nothing could have prepared the celeb
for working with creator Ryan Murphy on the series American Horror Story.
"Shooting that show is absolute insanity."
And, yes, Peters didn't always like horror movies.
"I was very scared when I would watch horror movies. I would be very panicky and
I would jump. I still jump. I still scream and yell in theaters and it's really embarrassing."
But In an interview with Issue, he admitted that,
"Working on the show, I got desensitized—you discover, well,
it’s not real. Then you just want to know how they do make something scary and real."
The strangest aspect of filming American Horror Story for Evan Peters wasn't portraying psychotic
characters. Instead, the weirdest parts to shoot were the various sex scenes. He told GQ,
"Almost every role, there's been some sort of weird sex scene, and sex scenes are not easy
to do. They're very embarrassing, especially when you're in your twenties and you're still awkward."
He recalled a particularly traumatic day playing Mr.
March in American Horror Story: Hotel. He told GQ,
"I was doing this butterfly razor cutting of this poor girl while I was having sex with
her. It was just horrific and weird and sad. At that point, it was season five,
and I was more comfortable with the crew, so it's like, okay, I guess my butt will be out."
"Remind me to switch out this god awful secessionist light fixture.
Makes this place look like a d–n zoo."
The actor spent a day on American Horror Story: Coven repeatedly getting out of a
bathtub while naked. Though he had an industry standard covering that resembles a sock,
Peters wasn't reassured. They're known to come off accidentally. He explained to GQ that,
"There's a 50/50 chance your c— is going to be coming out. It's a little gnarly."
And sure enough, one time, the modesty sock couldn't quite handle the assignment.
Recalling an embarrassing moment with one of Hollywood's great leading ladies, Peters said,
"Your b—-s are hanging out in front of Jessica Lange, and it's like,
'This is not normal. This is a very vulnerable experience.'"
In perhaps his most awkward onscreen moment,
Peters and then-girlfriend Emma Roberts were called upon to film a threesome.
Peters relived the embarrassment in an interview with Vulture, saying,
"It was … bizarre. Super weird. But the way we did it was pretty tasteful. … If that
could be tasteful in any way. Because Emma and I are dating and then poor
Taissa [Farmiga]’s there and we had to get together and do this thing and it’s weird."
Having been in the entertainment industry since he was a teenager,
Evan Peters has amassed a sizable bank account. Between commercials,
movies, and his long run on American Horror Story, the actor has secured A-list-level
contracts. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Peters was worth $4 million as of 2022.
Since moving to Los Angeles in the mid-2000s, Peters has been no stranger to the life of
the rich and famous. But you can't take the midwesterner out of the man. The actor revealed
a few simple pleasures that he relies upon. In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Peters confided,
"I have knitted before, but I gave that up."
Another favorite pastime is going to the movies. But not
necessarily just for the film. He told Issue,
"I'm a huge popcorn guy — I don't care where we are as long as the
popcorn is up to snuff. … I could watch the biggest pile of crap and still have
a s—-eating grin on my face the whole time as long as I'm eating that large popcorn."
"I could eat popcorn forever."
Evan Peters got used to creepy, complicated moments in the American
Horror Story anthology series. Sometimes, it got convoluted.
"Yes, I was playing a person who played a person who had died. I played that
person. And then I also died as that person. Both of them died."
In the fifth season of the series,
he got the chance to play a spin on one of America's worst villains.
Series producer Ryan Murphy explained to Entertainment Weekly,
"Usually Evan is the tortured good guy or the tortured ingénue. But this year we decided to
go a very different route and just make him perhaps the worst human being to have ever lived."
"When it comes to you spirits, I am captain, so listen up, mateys!"
Peters' heinous character, Mr. March, was inspired by real life serial killer HH Holmes,
who owned a Chicago hotel he'd designed and retrofitted to be an evil death trap.
Nearly seven years after playing March, Peters seemed like a natural choice to portray another
serial killer, but a real one this time: the title character in the 2022 Netflix series Monster:
The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. To prepare for the role, series creator Murphy had Peters watch
the famous Stone Phillips interview with Dahmer from the '90s. Peters confessed,
"It was so jaw-dropping that it all really happened."
He admitted that playing Dahmer was one of the hardest things he
ever had to do. In an interview with Netflix he explained why:
"I wanted it to be very authentic but in order to do that, I was gonna have
to go to really dark places and stay there for an extended period of time."
The actor expressed appreciation to the cast and
crew for taking care of him while he delved into those dark places.
Fans were shocked for several reasons when Evan Peters appeared in the Marvel series WandaVision.
"She recast Pietro?"
First, his character called himself Pietro, just like the Pietro Maximoff aka Quicksilver
character he played in the X-Men films. The apparent crossover led some fans to believe
WandaVision was dropping hints about joining the MCU multiverse. Even Peters' co-star,
Elizabeth Olsen – younger sister to Peter's early crushes, the Olsen twins – was surprised.
"Who beefed in your borscht?"
In an interview with Variety, she recalled her reaction.
"When we heard that Evan was going to do it, my mind was blown. 'This is the
first time we're merging! This is crazy!' And then to use it in such a clever way
as [head writer and executive producer] Jac [Schaeffer] does was so satisfying,"
The second shock came in the series finale,
when viewers learned Peters' character was not a superhero at all but just a normal man.
To keep the details secret, producers hid Peters' involvement. He recalled The Wrap,
"That was hilarious. I'd actually be brought to [the WandaVision] set in a cloak and an umbrella."
None of this was especially new to Peters, who already had experience with being tight
lipped on American Horror Story. In an interview with Issue, Peters elaborated,
"It's a very secretive show, even when you're working on
it. They don't want details to get out and ruin the surprise."
As of 2021, Evan Peters had appeared in 100 episodes of American Horror Story over his 10
years on the series. Though he's portrayed an impressive number of characters over the years
and built up a dedicated fan base, Peters never received an Emmy nomination. That is,
until his role as Detective Colin Zabel in HBO's Mare of Easttown earned him his
first nomination and win for Outstanding Supporting Actor. In his acceptance speech,
Peters thanked his parents, Ryan Murphy, and, in a passionate shout,
"Kate Winslet for being Kate Winslet!"
In a post-ceremony interview with ET,
Peters elaborated about Winslet and said of his achievement,
"I definitely wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her. The best
scene partner I could have ever asked for."
Interestingly, Peters didn't think his performance in the series was good at first. In fact,
he felt especially terrible about his work in one of the scenes, a drunken meltdown, that may have
actually propelled him onto the Emmys shortlist. Mare series director Craig Zobel told Vanity Fair,
"I could tell it was special when we were shooting that thing. ... I
remember hugging [Peters] at the end. It was emotional."
As Peters remembered it to Vanity Fair, he was emotional because,
"I thought we didn’t get the scene. I was like, ‘We didn’t get it,
we didn’t get it. I can’t do this. I’m terrible. I’m going to shadow you,
Craig, and be a director because I can’t f—in’ do it anymore.'”
Fortunately, audiences loved it, much to Peters' surprise.
While Evan Peters has played some truly disturbing characters on TV and film,
he is both professional and goofy in real life. Another positive side of the true
Peters is his commitment to helping others with his time and resources. For example,
he twice worked with the fundraising platform Omaze to support various charities. This included
getting together with his American Animals castmates to raise funds for Transylvania
University. In another Omaze event, Peters offered donors the opportunity to have lunch
with him and play a walk-on role in American Horror Story. That one benefited Children's
Hospital Los Angeles, where Ryan Murphy's young son received lifesaving cancer care.
On several occasions, Peters donated his shoes — including
running shoes and hand-painted sneakers — to be auctioned off for the Small Steps Project,
a UK organization that provides footwear and other aid to children in need. Another cause
important to Peters is funding cancer research. He became an ambassador for Stand Up To Cancer
and released a video to create awareness for the organization, with a special focus on head
and neck cancers. He took a moment in the video to explain his personal connection to the cause.
"Today and every day, I stand up for my friend Tony,
who we lost way too soon to esophageal cancer."