Why Joyce Dahmer In Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story Looks So Familiar

That's not déjà vu you're experiencing; Hollywood is once again cashing in on the story of Jeffrey Dahmer, the serial killer who terrorized the state of Wisconsin from 1978 until 1991. This time, Netflix is taking a stab at the famed murderer, and they've assembled a crack team to revisit Dahmer's story. "Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" — a boon for true crime and punctuation enthusiasts alike — is co-created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, the minds behind series like "American Crime Story," "American Horror Story," and "Scream Queens." MCU star Evan Peters stars as Dahmer.

Per Murphy, it was important that this iteration of Dahmer's story center on the victims, their families, and the institutional racism and ineptitude that allowed Dahmer to keep killing for as long as he did. The series begins in Dahmer's high school years and features a crop of stars as the disturbed youngster's guardians, who fail to understand the nascent monster growing up under their roof. Richard Jenkins stars as Dahmer's father, Lionel, and Molly Ringwald plays his stepmother, Shari. Here's why the actress who plays his mother, Joyce, looks so familiar.

Penelope Ann Miller's first big roles were in the theater. Her Broadway career began in a 1985 production of "Big Biloxi," for which she reprised the role in the 1988 film adaptation alongside Matthew Broderick, and she earned a Tony Award nomination for the 1989 revival of "Our Town" (via Playbill).

Big film roles followed suit, and Miller spent the late 1980s starring in a number of family-friendly flicks. In 1987, she co-starred in "Adventures in Babysitting." As Chris' (Elisabeth Shue) frenzied friend Brenda, she precipitates much of the madness that unfolds over the course of a single evening. "That was the beginning of my career," Miller reminisced upon the occasion of the film's 30th anniversary (via ET). "I don't think it opened very big," she added, "and ... it's still a cult favorite." The next year, she appeared in "Big Top Pee-wee," the sequel to "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," as Pee-wee's fiancée, Winnie Johnson.

Penelope Ann Miller's star continued to rise in the 1990s, and she kicked off the decade starring alongside not one but both iterations of the Godfather Don Vito Corleone. The L.A.-native put on a thick New York accent to play Marlon Brando's daughter in "The Freshman," a crime comedy film that had her sharing scenes with Matthew Broderick. That same year, she acted alongside Robert De Niro in the considerably more dramatic film "Awakenings." Based on neurologist Oliver Sacks' memoir of the same name, the film stars Robin Williams as an analog for Sacks and De Niro as an encephalitis patient. Miller plays another patient's daughter, who begins having periodic lunch dates with De Niro's character.

"I was more nervous to work with Robert De Niro," Miller said of the two "Godfather Part II" stars (via The Bobbie Wygant Archive). "I had an audition with him on another picture [and] he didn't look up at me once and I was terrified." Brando and De Niro weren't the only big stars who Miller rubbed shoulders with in 1990. That year, she also appeared alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Kindergarten Cop."

As if Brando and De Niro weren't enough, Miller rounded out her triumvirate of "Godfather" stars by working with Al Pacino in 1993's "Carlito's Way." "I like to say I've done the 'o' actors," Miller jokingly told The Baltimore Sun in 1993. "Now, it's on to other letters." Directed by Brian de Palma, "Carlito's Way" follows a New York criminal struggling to leave behind a life of crime. In addition to Miller and Pacino, the film also stars Sean Penn, John Leguizamo, and Luis Guzmán.

For her role as Carlito's girlfriend Gail, Miller earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress (via IMDb). Miller was initially dubious about the character, who is a stripper. Ultimately, it was too good an opportunity to pass up. "I figured I could meet with Pacino at least, and he could see my work," she told The Baltimore Sun. "I could establish a relationship with him and Brian DePalma. But I realized that this was a great, meaty role and that the stripping was such a very small part of it."

Miller continued acting through the '90s and 2000s, starring in the 1997 creature feature "The Relic," returning to Broadway, and making TV appearances in series like "The Closer" and "Desperate Housewives" (via IMDb). In 2011, she had a supporting role in "The Artist." The nostalgic part-talkie cleaned up during awards season, winning three Golden Globe Awards and five Academy Awards, including Best Picture (via IMDb).

Miller plays Doris, the embattled wife of silent film star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin). Of the challenges of silent acting, Miller told MakingOf, "I think the daunting task is to be believable and authentic to the period ... You don't want to overdo it and seem like you're over-acting or being gimmicky."

To her credit, Miller was perhaps the only cast member to have any sort of silent acting experience. She played silent film actress Edna Purviance in 1992's "Chaplin" alongside Robert Downey Jr., who won a BAFTA award for his portrayal.