'AHS: Hotel' Postmortem: Wes Bentley On Ten Commandments Killer Reveal
Warning: This Q&A about last night’s “The Ten Commandments Killer” episode of American Horror Story: Hotel contains spoilers.
Going undercover at the Hotel Cortez? Unnecessary. Researching ancient murders and creating a Carrie Matheson bulletin board of crazy? Fruitless. Checking himself into a rubber room to interrogate a suspect connected to the case? Getting warmer — but still mostly pointless.
Turns out all detective John Lowe (Wes Bentley) needed to do to solve the Ten Commandments Killer case on American Horror Story: Hotel was a little soul-searching. With only a handful of episodes left in the fifth installment, last night’s episode contained a huge reveal — the lead cop investigating a rash of biblical-themed slayings was also the one who committed the crimes. Turns out he’d wandered into the hotel five years ago and the ghost of fellow psychopath Mr. March recognized the darkness in him and immediately did everything in his power — plying him with absinthe, poking his pent-up rage about the failings of the justice system, making him “hate the whole world” by arranging the kidnapping of his beloved boy Holden — to push Lowe over the edge.
At what point were you told that you were actually leading a manhunt to find yourself?
When I first sat down with [creator] Ryan [Murphy ]ast year, we talked about doing the show and he gave me a basic outline of who John Lowe was. I didn’t know that I was going to be a killer and a cop then. Then I received the first three scripts before we started shooting and I was asking him some questions and trying to get into the character and whatnot. Finally, he just called me and said, “I don’t want anybody else to know that you know this, but you’re the guy. And I don’t want you to play it at all like you know.“ So I was like, "Okay, cool. Very cool. I guess I’m the killer.”
It’s interesting because Ryan’s usual M.O. is to not tell people much, like on Scream Queens no one was told if they were (or weren’t) the Red Devil.
Right. I don’t want to speak for Ryan, but he knew he could trust me. I’m not the gossiping type. [Laughs] Also, he knew that the way I wanted to approach the character was with a lot of subtlety, and I wanted to keep him grounded in reality. He warned me to not tip it with anything I was doing on screen and I could not tell anyone else. But I have to say that I know that about Ryan, so there’s a part of me that was like, “Maybe I’m not the guy? Maybe he’s not messing with me. Why would he tell me when he usually keeps plot stuff on a need to know basis until the last second?” It wasn’t until I got this episode in my hands that I was like, “Okay. I’m the guy.” That said, even after [we shot it] and I killed [my partner}, part of me was like, “I still might not be the guy. What if it’s not real? What if I am just going crazy in that hotel and being manipulated by ghosts?” I can’t trust anything. Ryan could very well be pranking me and the audience.
So if you assumed what he said was true and that you would end up being the Ten Commandments Killer, how did you decide to play it? Did you ever give us a clue?
I went about it as John, who didn’t know what he was doing before it all came back to him in this episode, so I tried to play it like I suspected nothing and I was not at all thinking that I was the guy. I think there are small hints and I could use things, like in episode 1 when I come into the hotel supposedly for the first time. I could play some familiarity with it or familiarity with Kathy or whatnot. Like he had some kind of inkling of, “I know this place. I know these people, but I don’t know why.” It’s interesting for a second look if you go through the series again [to find the hints]. I was glad to know because those elements could be there and be useable without me ever consciously playing it. I think that’s what [Ryan] wanted out of it.
Do you think Lowe is evil, or has he been driven and manipulated to a point of no return?
What I’m interested in with horror or thrillers is the psychological element. That’s terrifying to me, that you can not know who you really are. That’s part of what was so terrifying about my own life. There was this other side of me that didn’t feel like me, but it would come out like John’s when he would drink or do stuff. That’s what the metaphor is, this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing. There’s an ugly person that comes out in when [altered]. So it’s real interesting. Even now I don’t know if he’s even doing it for real or if it is in his head. But he was also pushed by March and by the Countess kidnapping his son and his wife’s grief and the drinking. So I’m going to keep playing it like it’s written and trust [Ryan].
It set it up as if you were confessing, but in fact you went to kill your partner for coveting your wife. Is he fully aware of who he is and embracing it or is he delusional?
Turns out I was chasing myself all along. After [seeing] all these trophies and with Sally’s telling me, it hits him all at once. It’s a lot, but when he kills Hahn, the feeling we’re left with is one of “I’m a killer. Embrace it.” This is who he’s going to be. And that’s where we go from there. We’ve got four more episodes to go, and now, we’re just exploring that bad side of John now that he’s fully aware of who he is. He has most likely embraced it so where does he go from there? What does the life look like? It sounds so crazy.
First I thought you were just a really good cop and profiler. Turns out you just had inside knowledge.
I’m terrible. I’m a terrible cop. [Laughs]
The first time it occurred to me that you could be the killer was during the serial killer dinner, because March said something to the effect that you weren’t ready to accept who you were yet. Did you think you gave it away at that point, or at any point before tonight’s reveal?
No. I saw the things that could have, but judging off the crew and their daily conversations about who it could be, It seemed like everyone there was missing it. Every once in a while, they kind of mentioned me. And everyone would go, “Nah, it just doesn’t make sense.” I felt like, “Okay. If they’re missing it, then we might get away with it.” I don’t feel like the writers were really trying to be one hundred percent locked down sneaky about it. I think they wanted to have some fun with suggestion and then to explore. Maybe those who figured it out could have fun watching the breakdown or discovery. The crew was surprised when they saw it. So I went off them. And I was like, okay. We might fool people. And I don’t there were people like you who caught on to the hints and went with it. I don’t think it was ever intended to be a total shocker like The Crying Game.
Your son and wife also live or frequent the hotel and have a Countess connection. I fear for your daughter’s safety. But given that this season is all about family relationships, I feel like John will find some way for them all to be together again. Plus, he broke the rule and killed someone that can be traced back to him. Is it the beginning of the end for his crime spree?
I’m certainly not allowed to say anything beyond what’s there [as of this episode]. But we’ve got four to go and we’re all still around so it is quite possible that [the family] thing has to come to a head in some way. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, I won’t say. But I given what was [revealed], that’s a logical place to go. Of course, this show’s not always logical. How’s that non-answer?
Do you think the partner really wanted to get with Alex, or was John seeing what he wanted to see? Hahn always seemed like a genuine friend to John and his family.
It is never confirmed. He firmly believes it was happening though.
Did you have a fear of hotels or a scary experience in one prior to this season?
I’m always in hotels. The creepiest was one where I did a movie outside of Calgary in 2000. It was empty half the time because it was a ski resort. I sort of just got these weird feelings about the place and the history of it. It was just so big and empty.
What is your biggest fear?
They all have to do with my kids. Before I had kids, it would have been about things happening to the ones I love, like my parents and stuff that I can’t help them with or control. That terrifies me.
Given that, some days on this set with this subject matter must be a struggle.
Oh yeah for sure. It can get really heavy and really dark sometimes. That’s when someone usually cracks a joke or something to lighten it up. But you definitely think about some terrible things.
AHS: Hotel airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on FX.