Dennis Quaid reveals playing a real-life serial killer was ‘very easy’ in ‘Happy Face’
nypost.comas a serial killer dad in “Happy Face,” premiering March 20 on Paramount+. “Serial killers are very easy to play,” Quaid, 70, exclusively told The Post, while promoting his “True To Texas” ad campaign. “Because they really kind of don’t have any emotion,” the “Substance” actor explained. “They have to be a little bit removed.” “Happy Face” is inspired by the true story of Keith Hunter Jesperson (played by Quaid), a k a The Happy Face Killer.
Jesperson, 69, is currently incarcerated, serving life sentences at Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. Between 1990 and 1995, he admitted to killing at least eight women across California, Florida, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming.
After his 1995 arrest, he claimed to have killed over 100 people, but he’s only been charged with eight to date. His eighth victim was identified in 2023, 29 years after her death.He sent letters to authorities bragging about his crimes signed with smiley faces, which gave him his moniker.
The show is based on his daughter Melissa Moore’s 2018 podcast “Happy Face” and her 2009 book, “Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer’s Daughter.” In the show, Melissa (Annaleigh Asford) has a husband, Ben (James Wolk) and two kids, who have no idea that their grandfather is a serial killer.
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