Denis O'Hare plays con artist Stanley on "American Horror Story: Freak Show." Stanley secretly works with Maggie Esmerelda (Emma Roberts) to take freak show members with them as potential specimens for American Morbidity Museum. But while Stanley has his eyes on freaks, he himself is one of them.
Before O'Hare's character made his debut in the fourth season of the hit FX anthology series, co-creator Ryan Murphy revealed the reason the 52-year-old actor was happy with his role.
"Denis really loves his part because he plays a guy with a 13-inch penis and that's all I'm going to say about that," Murphy told Entertainment Weekly. "So Denis has never been happier!"
But O'Hare, also known for his portrayal of vampire Russell Edgington on HBO's fantasy series "True Blood," recently said in an interview that Stanley's package is not a joke.
"What I love about 'American Horror Story' it's never just a gag (pardon the pun), there's more to it," O'Hare told Out, referring to his character's overly well endowed manhood. "It's actually a burden to Stanley. It isn't an unalloyed benefit. It actually marked him as a freak."
O'Hare added that he adores Murphy's ability to add layers to the show's characters that may seem funny on the outside but actually have much deeper meanings. "It marks Stanley as abnormal," he added of the character's penis.
But aside from his gigantic manhood, Stanley's sexuality is also one of the aspects of his being that makes him a freak. "Being a gay in the 1950s is abnormal. It's an exploration of what is normal," the Primetime Emmy-nominated actor told Out.
O'Hare also revealed that Stanley has the talent to manipulate others for his personal gain, but viewers will only see this unfold later in the season. "He's constantly weaving all these webs," the Tony Award-winning actor explained. "I sometimes get lost in my own plans trying to figure out what's happening. He's part vaudevillian, part conman, part murderer."
O'Hare is openly gay. He tied the knot with interior designer Hugo Redwood in July 2011 in New York, according to WENN.