John Cameron Mitchell Reveals Why He Didn’t Meet Joe Exotic In Preparation For ‘Tiger King’ Role

John Cameron Mitchell will be portraying “Tiger King” subject Joe Exotic in an upcoming Peacock series, which will soon begin production in Australia.

Speaking to Australia’s Courier Mail, via the Daily Mail, the “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” star explained why he didn’t want to meet the guy he’ll be playing.

“We’re told not to connect with the real folks. We want to be impartial,” he said of Exotic, currently imprisoned after being convicted of the attempted murder of rival Carole Baskin.

RELATED: John Cameron Mitchell Confirmed To Play Joe Exotic In Upcoming Series

Mitchell also shared another complicating factor related to his role.

“I was a bit nervous about the tigers — not because of danger but because I’m allergic to cats,” he said, but noted the series would circumvent that by using CGI animals. “Keeps PETA happy,” he added.

Despite being cast as the titular “Tiger King”, Mitchell admitted he’s no fan of the Netflix docuseries.

“I had to stop watching it… I felt soiled,” he said. ”Everyone was just behaving so badly.”

However, Mitchell feels that he has deep understanding of Exotic. “Here’s this guy who is from where I am from. I used to live an hour away from his zoo when I was a kid, you know, in Oklahoma,” he explained.

RELATED: Carole Baskin Feels ‘Betrayed’ By ‘Tiger King’ Producers, Claims She’s Never Spoken To Joe Exotic

“So I know the vibe and I know that certain kind of gay guy… They’re tough and they’re damaged and they’re entertaining and they’re admirable and they’re repulsive,” he added, pointing to Exotic’s “aggressive victim mentality” and having “built up this tough redneck exterior.”

In addition to Mitchell, the Peacock series also stars “SNL” cast member Kate McKinnon as Baskin, William Fichtner as Joe’s reality show producer Rick Kirkham (replacing Dennis Quaid, who was forced to drop out due to a scheduling conflict), Brian Van Holt as zoo manager John Reinke, Nat Wolff as Joe’s first husband Travis Maldonado, and Sam Keeley as Joe’s second husband John Finlay.

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