The Most Bizarre Detail Of The Rubber Man Suit From American Horror Story
Audiences were introduced to the terrifying latex-clad entity known as Rubber Man in the first season of "American Horror Story," which premiered on October 5, 2011. Throughout most of the season, Rubber Man's identity remains hidden, but eventually, it's revealed that the teenage ghost Tate Langdon (Evan Peters) is behind the mask. While wearing the suit, the dead 17-year-old sexually assaults Vivian Harmon (Connie Britton). After that encounter, Vivian becomes pregnant and ends up giving birth to the Antichrist.
If you've seen "Murder House" — the first season's retroactive subtitle — you're familiar with the eerie, upsetting Rubber Man, who's just one of the many ghosts that haunts the doomed Harmon house, driving its inhabitants mad as the various hauntings terrorize this troubled family. "American Horror Story" is full of creepy characters and details, and Rubber Man is definitely weird enough without any more details. But as it turns out, the real-life application of the suit was pretty wild.
Here's what Evan Peters had to say about what it was like to don the Rubber Man suit.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
The process of getting into the Rubber Man suit
According to Evan Peters, wearing Rubber Man's latex costume wasn't the most pleasant experience. While speaking to PopStop TV in 2012, the actor revealed that lubricant was liberally applied to his bare skin — from head to toe — to prevent the costume from ripping. He stated that despite taking these measures, he still "tore a lot of suits with stunts."
Peters shared similar information about the restricting garment during a 2011 interview with Vulture, telling the publication that the suit was "tight everywhere." He elaborated, "It's all latex, so it's very thin, almost like you're walking around naked, and it's chilly. You gotta lube up for it and slip it on."
Peters went on to say that although the costume was restrictive and the lubricant felt "gross," he enjoyed how moisturized his skin felt after he removed the costume. The actor explained to Vulture that once he was finished wearing the skintight suit, he would "peel [it] off and put on [his] normal clothes." He also revealed that he refrained from washing the lube off until he left the set. "I don't know if you've ever put on lube before, but it's not like there's a layer of Vaseline on you; it's just almost like your skin is super smooth and slick; it feels kind of gross, but at the same time, you feel really well moisturized," explained Peters. "You're not like, 'Ew, get it off of me.' You're more like, 'This is kind of gross. I want to get this off as soon as possible. But maybe I can stop and get a sandwich first.'"
Evan Peters wasn't the only actor who portrayed the Rubber Man
In a 2011 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Peters admitted he was "shocked" at the revelation that Tate was the Rubber Man. He told the outlet that he was in the dark about the villain's true identity until the production of Season 1's eighth episode. "I was shocked, but I was also grateful," recalled Peters. "I was thinking, 'Wow that's pretty cool. I guess I have to slime up and put on the rubber suit.'"
During most of Season 1, Peters wasn't in the Rubber Man suit. Instead, actor Riley Schmidt portrayed the disturbing character in many of the episodes. Schmidt discussed how he felt wearing the suit in a 2015 interview with E! News. Like Peters did, Schmidt detailed that the lubricant had some unexpected benefits. "Everyone's put a latex glove on before in some capacity, but when you put that over your whole entire body, you're just kind of slimy and wet. I can tell you my skin got really soft for about six months, because I was basically in some kind of lotion glove for about six months. I got like a skin treatment," said Schmidt.
"American Horror Story" is available to stream on Netflix, Rubber Man suit and all.