Not Even Suzanna Son Knows If Her Monster Character Is Real or Not
Following the release of Ryan Murphy's latest Monster series, The Ed Gein Story, searches around the infamous serial killer who inspired some of Hollywood's most notorious horror films—think Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs—spiked. But it wasn't just Gein himself who drew increased interest from audiences. It was the surrounding characters too, like Gein's neighbor and rumored girlfriend Adeline Watkins, played by rising actress and musician Suzanna Son.
In real life, Watkins claimed to be Gein's longtime lover of 20 years following his arrest in 1957, describing the killer as "good, kind, and sweet" before later claiming her words were exaggerated and clarifying that she and Gein were simply acquaintances for nearly two decades and only dated for about a year.
With not much else known about the real-life Watkins, creator and writer Ian Brennan took some creative liberties with the character. In the show, Watkins, portrayed with fantastic eeriness by Son, takes an immediate liking to Gein. Both outsiders in their small town, the two are shown to have a shared interest in milkshakes, books, and darker subject matter, and their relationship evolves into a twisted romance. As the series goes on, fans begin questioning whether Son's version of Watkins is a real person in Gein's life or simply a figment of his imagination. Come to find out, Son herself doesn't even know the answer.
We caught up with the actress following the show's premiere to talk about joining Murphy's Monster universe, gravitating toward characters who may not exist, and her long-awaited music debut.
You believe in luck and being in the right place at the right time. Where was that when Murphy's Monster came to you?
definitely lucky to get that self-tape request in my inbox. That's cool. Lucky to… Who was casting? Tiffany Canfield. Lucky that she was championing me. I put in the hard work on the self-tape and really, really wanted it. It was a nice 50/50 combo.
The Monster franchise continues to be a success. What appealed to you about Gein's story in particular and how the show approaches it?
