‘I knew I couldn’t make him angry’: Grey’s Anatomy and Hannah Montana This actress survived one of the worst serial killers.

Years ago, actor Jack Merrill told a Hollywood producer about the night in 1978 he was kidnapped by serial killer John Wayne Gacy. “Is this how you want to be remembered?– asked the producer. Then Meryl thought:No, I don’t think so. It’s like having a relationship with him.”

For decades, the actress, best known for shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Revenge or Hannah Montana, tried to avoid the attack, telling only her closest friends what Gacy did to her ranch in the suburbs of Chicago.

miraculously Jack Merrill survived. A few months later, on December 21, 1978, Gacy, an entrepreneur who also played a clown named Pogo, was arrested and eventually charged with the murders of 33 young men. Geiss was executed by lethal injection in 1994. Today, 65-year-old Meryl is ready to share her story of survival and has written a show about her extraordinary life. saveCurrently playing at the Electric Lodge Theater in Los Angeles, the show “cathartic” for an actor who is proud of his career.

his story

Having grown up in Illinois with four older sisters, she describes as “sad”, Jack Merrill At the age of 17, he left his family after fighting with his father. He then moved to his own studio in downtown Chicago. At the age of 19, wanting to act but not knowing how to do it, he worked in clubs. And one evening, he has an encounter that he will remember for the rest of his life. Here is his story as he told the crowd.

“One evening, after swimming, I was walking home. The boy stopped and said, “Do you want to go for a walk?” I thought I’d take a few laps around the block, but he started driving fast and ended up in a really dangerous area. He told me: ‘Lock your door. It’s dangerous.’ I told him they didn’t talk about it in the papers because it was bad for business in nearby Rush Street, and he said, “How do you know, huh? you are smart You are not like other children.

I had never been in someone’s car before, but I had a feeling that if he thought I was different from the people he got into, then I should go. He stopped at the Kennedy Expressway ramp and asked me if I had ever taken “poppers” – amyl nitrite. He took out a brown bottle, poured liquid on the cloth and stuck it in my face. I lost it and when I woke up he handcuffed me. I saw the Cumberland exit on the highway near the airport and the next thing I knew we were in front of his house.

He told me to shut up. The light from the back of the house caught my eye and I suddenly realized how dangerous it was. I was a small, delicate young man of 19 years. I knew I couldn’t make her angry. I just had to calm the situation down and pretend that everything was fine. This is how I survived my childhood: we learned to laugh when our parents were suffering.

The house was dark. I felt it was a trap. He asked me if I trusted him and I did, so he uncuffed me. There was a bar in the middle of the house. We had a beer and he was high on weed, then he put the handcuffs back on and dragged me down the hall. A homemade device was clamped around my neck. It had ropes and tires, and it was placed on my back and in my hands, so that if I struggled, I would drown. It happened at one point and I started losing air. He put a gun in my mouth. Then he raped her in the bedroom. I knew if I fought him, I didn’t have much of a chance. I never screamed or panicked. Somehow I’m also sorry, as if he didn’t really want what he was doing, but he couldn’t stop. We were there for hours. I finally saw that he was tired. He suddenly said: I will take you home.

He left me not far from where he took me. It was around 5 am. He gave me his phone number and said that maybe someday we will meet again. When I got home, I threw the number in the toilet, then took a shower. I didn’t call the police – I didn’t know then that he was a murderer. I went to the Snowflake Diner and had eggs and chocolate milk. I made a pact with myself: I was going to overcome this ordeal. I was not going to leave my happiness in this house.

A few months later, I saw a headline in the Chicago Sun-Times: “Bodies Found in Suburbs.” The article had a map and marked the Cumberland exit off the Kennedy Highway. I called the newspaper and told them that this guy raped me. The man who answered asked, “What is your name?” I did not give my name. I was sensitive about my name because people knew my father. This was his diary. I hung up the phone. I told myself that if the police needed my help, I would come out. All these corpses were found under this house and years later they were convicted. But like I said, if they needed me, I would come out.

I read that he went to prison. I saw a picture of it and it was disgusting. The thought that tormented me was: “Have I been defiled? Was I somehow contaminated? I needed to change. When the movie Fame came out, I went to see it and said, “I’m going. I’m going to wear thrift store clothes and cry in drama class.’ I moved to New York on my 21st birthday. I entered the drama faculty of New York University. In 1986, a group of friends and I formed the Naked Angels, an off-Broadway troupe for actors and playwrights. Acting was therapeutic for me. You are forced to express yourself, and with that comes a certain honesty. recognition and acceptance.

I went to group therapy, but that wasn’t the point. I had a boyfriend who had AIDS and I joined a support group. I read that Oprah was doing a show about forgiveness. There was a woman who was raped, beaten and left for dead. According to him, if he did not forgive the attacker, he would not be able to continue his life. I knew I had to do it – somehow forgive Geis.

A gay-obsessed culture

Finally, as said Jack MerrillIt was his turbulent childhood and the lessons he learned from the behavior of his parents, whom he forgave and made amends with, that saved his life.

“It wasn’t until later, when I was writing about my childhood for this show, that the lessons I learned at home saved me. They saved my life that night. Those lessons—having a radar—have stayed with me for the rest of my life. Don’t get me wrong – I still deal with it. Our culture is obsessed with John Wayne Geiss. Years ago I went to the Haunted Hayride in Griffith Park in Los Angeles. We turn a corner and there is a banner that says “Macy’s Day Parade”. But the “M” has been crossed out and replaced with a red “G” and there are clowns running around with axes and knives. This is the fear factor. People love it, but I don’t find violence funny. I will not go to see these movies. The thought of seeing someone tied up… I can’t. When I’m scared, I never cry – my emotions are blocked. But when good things happen in movies, when someone gets what they want, the tears start.“

Jack Merrill concludes: “I learned that no one is more traumatized than anyone else. Many have experienced terrible things. Many people who have been raped do not talk about it. I understand that. So far I have only told close friends about it. But in my new show, I go through that period every night. I am proud of this journey. I was able to learn from the bad and use it for good. You know, I’m lucky. I have always been lucky.“

Jack Merrill Made his official debut as an actor in 1998, before landing small roles on television in series such as New York, Forensic Police, Sex and the City, Newport Beach, Grey’s Anatomynumber 3, Hannah Montana, RevengeGames people play. On the film side, we can see him in the 2007 film Ella Valley starring Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Jonathan Tucker, Susan Sarandon, James Franco and Josh Brolin, as well as an independent film. limerence (2017), awarded at the Venice Film Festival.

He presents his show saveFrom October 11 onwards, the Electric Lodge in Los Angeles will tell us about this effort.