The AHS Death Valley Character Fans Think Was Miscast

The innovative Season 10 of "American Horror Story," which is split into two parts, "Red Tide" and "Death Valley," has continued to surprise viewers with its unique storytelling approach. The biggest twist that the second half of the season, "Death Valley," has introduced is the presence of historical figures, including former presidents and major celebrities, as prominent characters

As "Death Valley" dives into the alien abduction that resulted in multiple rapid pregnancies among the present-day characters, it explores the origins of an agreement between the United States government and some extraterrestrial visitors. The deal, brought to President Dwight Eisenhower (Neal McDonough), stipulates that if the government allows the aliens to experiment on humans, the space travelers will deliver advanced technology that could help the U.S. gain the upper hand in the Cold War against the USSR.

Viewers come to understand that an agreement is made, and eventually, "American Horror Story" moves into the 1960s to show former President Eisenhower and future President Richard Nixon (Craig Sheffer) explaining the treaty to President John F. Kennedy (Mike Vogel). Later, fans even see Kennedy discuss the matter with his Marilyn Monroe (Alisha Soper).

Of course, any show representing so many important and iconic historic figures is taking a few risks in its depictions, and fans inevitably have opinions about which actors managed to pull it off and which ones did not. Here is the "American Horror Story" character that fans think was miscast.

Individuals such as Kennedy, Monroe, and Nixon are all pretty well-defined figures in American history and pop culture, and "American Horror Story" viewers can't help but have expectations for how they should look and sound. While fans were happy with how Monroe and Nixon were depicted, a few felt that Mike Vogel missed the mark with Kennedy.

In a thread for the "American Horror Story" episode "Inside" on Reddit, fans made their opinion on Kennedy clear. u/passion4film wrote, "Horrible casting for JFK, but I'll live through it." 

That user wasn't alone, as u/hellobaaa concurred, "Right? When they first revealed his face, I was like... who is this?"

It wasn't just Vogel's physical features that viewers felt were off, as others thought the actor failed to emulate Kennedy's Bostonian accent. u/Hawknelsonfan07 wrote, "He got a few lines in with the North Eastern accent in but it was a swing and a miss tbh."

While having Kennedy portrayed in a way that feels inconsistent can be jarring, fans were largely complimentary of the show's historical storyline. u/pjrnoc said, "I love so much when they go back in time!" 

u/Hawknelsonfan07 felt that the second half of the season was even stronger than the first, writing, "You took the words right out of my mouth! I would have been satisfied with the whole season about this half." While Kennedy's casting may have been a bit off, fans largely seem satisfied with the direction "American Horror Story" has taken with "Death Valley."