Niecy Nash-Betts is speaking her truth.
Following the Sept. 21 release of Netflix's DAHMER - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, the actress was met with praise for portrayal of Glenda Cleveland, Dahmer's real-life neighbor who repeatedly called the police about his suspicious activity.
However, the series has been accused by some of glamorizing Dahmer and putting the tragic stories of his victims on the back burner. However, Nash-Betts, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance, doesn't quite agree with that assessment. "I feel like it's shining more of a light on the victims than it is on the killer," Nash-Betts told Deadline on Dec. 29. "Normally, you view it from the lead character's point of view, but you actually get to enter the story through the eyes of his neighbor."
The Reno: 911! actress also noted how playing the role made her realize how Dahmer's crimes had an emotional ripple effect.
"You get to unpack the collateral damage in all of the families who had loved ones who lost their lives to Dahmer," she explained. "And even though Glenda Cleveland was not killed by him, she definitely was a victim."
Acknowledging that her character is a representation of the multiple people that were hurt by Dahmer's actions, Nash-Betts also shared how she personally relates to Glenda.
"When your voice goes unheard, when your needs go unmet, when you are crying out and no one is listening," she said, "that's a space that if we haven't been in our life, at some point we will be."
DAHMER - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which stars Evan Peters as the notorious killer, is available to stream now on Netflix.