It had been 10 years since Seth Gabel worked with Ryan Murphy on Nip/Tuck. So when an offer to play “Devil’s Night” dinner guest Jeffrey Dahmer — the notorious killer who spent years collecting genitalia in jars, murdering young men, sleeping with their corpses, and occasionally eating their flesh — on American Horror Story came out of the blue, the Salem star wasn’t sure he should be thrilled or concerned. “You hope you aren’t the first choice because you remind them of a serial killer who committed horrifying acts,” Gabel tells Yahoo TV. “You tell yourself it is because they think you have the skills to take on such an intense role. I’m sticking with that.”

So after spending all day researching real-life inspirations for Hotel and watching the “Devil’s Night” just before bed, I was completely freaked out and couldn’t sleep, so I guess mission accomplished.

[Laughing] Thanks. And also sorry. I actually haven’t seen the episode yet because my wife [Bryce Dallas Howard] can’t watch the show at night — she can barely watch it at all because it freaks her out — and she wanted to watch it together. It is good to hear we achieved what we set out to do.

You worked with Ryan Murphy on Nip/Tuck 10 years ago, but wondering how this came about? Did you audition or had you kept in touch?

The opportunity came totally out of the blue. My agent called and said, “Ryan wants you to play Jeffrey Dahmer. There’s no script available… ” Before he could even finish the pitch, I said, “Yes. Definitely.” I jumped at the chance to work with him again after such a good experience on Nip/Tuck. I was so grateful for my time on that series. It was one of my first jobs after moving to LA and I felt like it put me on the path of the kind of work I wanted to do, which was better than the quality of the WB shows happening at the time. But then I had to wait and wait. I had no idea what to expect for the longest time because there was no script and no information.

Is that a compliment that after so many years you are his immediate go-to choice to play one of the most notorious serial killers of all time? Or does it give you pause?

It definitely gives you pause. I started thinking about all the sitcom auditions I’d gone on over the years and didn’t get the parts and you start wondering, “Is there something off about me? Do I come off creepy?” I guess there is a bit of a physical resemblance especially if I put those horrible glasses on. But it is also a compliment that someone comes to you and assumes you can handle something this meaty. I have learned to embrace challenging myself and taking on something outside my comfort zone. And playing Jeffrey Dahmer was the most out of my comfort zone that I have ever been.

Did you do a ton of research?

Yes. I was really nervous going into this. I can go full psycho easily when I know it is pretend, but when the character is a real person it changes things. Ever since I had kids that kind of stuff has become even harder. It is so chilling and haunting to think about the evil real men do. So I tried to figure out a way to safely research Jeffrey and get inside his head. I tried to find his motivation for doing these things without judging him.

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From left: Lily Rabe as Aileen Wuornos; Anthony Ruivivar as Richard Ramirez; Gabel as Dahmer; Evan Peters as Mr. March

What is your take on him after doing the homework?

I think some people are wired. I was talking to a psychiatrist about serial killers before filming and he was saying that there is a theory that certain humans are more tuned into the predatory instinct and that leads them to this life. They have a primal need to kill.

Related: ‘American Horror Story’: Your Guide to the True-Life Horror Stories that Inspired ‘Hotel’