When it comes to music, Lady Gaga is a chameleonic persona, adopting flamboyant styles and mannerisms both on and off the stage. But for her first foray into television acting, with a lead role on "American Horror Story: Hotel," the songstress said she took inspiration from a famous -- and similarly murderous -- source.

In an interview with Jamie Lee Curtis for Variety's Actors on Actors series, Gaga admitted that she was as captivated by HBO's "The Jinx" as the rest of the country, and especially the inner workings of its main subject.

"Every day I would watch Robert Durst in 'The Jinx' and his wife Debrah Durst and I would sort of study the practical nature in which he was devious and evil," Gaga explained. "He just has this extremely practical way of explaining how he's going conceal the fact that he's dumped a body in a river and kept it in his house and cut up his best friend."

Examining Durst's behavior informed the singer-actress's portrayal of The Countess, the bloodthirsty proprietor of the titular evil establishment on "AHS: Hotel." Here's how she explained it, per Variety:

"If I was going to take a guy home and f— him and then eat him, I wouldn't know exactly how to do that," she added.

"Which order?" joked Curtis.

"Well I know which order I might have to do it in. Well, for The Countess though that order is debatable, right? Because she's into that sort of necro-romance as well. But during that time, you know, I became a lot more wild and crazy and matter-of-fact about things. Who I am as an artist and person changed," said Gaga.

We didn't think it would be possible to find "American Horror Story" creepier than it already is, but congratulations, Gaga, you did it. For more from the star, check out an excerpt from the Variety series here. The entire segment will debut on PBS SoCal on June 12 and June 19, and will also be available to stream on Variety.com.

[via: Variety]

Photo credit: Suzanne Tenner/FX