Miles Crist/Netflix
Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez play Lyle and Erik Menendez in the hit series Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez.
They talked about the show, Cooper’s meeting with the real Menendez brothers in prison, and criticism of the series for its “disingenuous portrayal” of Eric.
In 1996, the Menendez brothers were convicted of the 1989 murders of their parents and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Cooper, who plays Eric, recently went to meet Lyle and Eric with Kim Kardashian.
He said, “Kim and Scott Budnick do a lot of work on prison reform, and she was watching the show. She called me and said she really liked it and thought of them.” And she said she was planning to go there to talk about this green space project that Eric and Lyle are spearheading, and they’ve been working on it for a long time. He invited me to go.
“We went down to the basement and went to this gymnasium and sat down there with about 30 incarcerated people and they all shared their stories. It was very emotional and inspirational. Cooper added. “I met with them and told them I believed in them and supported them. I did everything I could to portray them truthfully.”
Koch explained how his encounters with them influenced his portrayals: They are so kind and such wonderful people. They did very good things in prison. They just graduated from the University of California, Irvine. Like I said, they’re doing this green space project. Eric teaches mediation and public speaking classes. They are very enthusiastic and really great people. ”
Eric issued a statement criticizing the “appalling and blatant lies” on the show, and Cooper said he supported Eric.
He said: “I know how he feels and I know how difficult it is to have the worst parts of your life dramatized on TV for millions of people to see, so I’m just rooting for him.” ” he commented. I understand how you feel. ”
Cooper and Nicholas portrayed Lyle and Eric in a different way than is often seen. Nicholas said: “We were tasked with sharing these characters and real people from several different perspectives. We were trying to absorb a variety of sources, and in the end we get interpretations that show the story from different perspectives and aspects.”
The show features a kiss between Lyle and Eric that hints at an incestuous relationship and has everyone talking.
Cooper said, “I think it all really comes from one perspective, the Dominic Dunne theory. To be honest, I don’t think that’s true. It’s just his perspective, his perspective.”
Cooper said, “The great thing about the scene in episode 7 where he’s talking about it and explaining his theory is, you know, at the end of that scene, from behind him and all his friends sitting in that seat, It cuts to a shot of the table no longer being there, but I think that’s kind of a mise-en-scène way of saying that his perspective isn’t very favorable. I think we’re just showing all the points of view on this show so that the viewers can act like a jury and have their say at the end of the series.”
Nicholas also talked about the pressure of playing a real person who is still alive, saying, “I try to deal with it as diligently as I can, keeping in mind that there are very wide creative demands placed on me. There are creative demands that you place on yourself, but there are also creative demands that come from everyone else involved, such as the screenwriter and the director.”
Cooper and Eric revealed their roles opposite big names: Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny, who will play Jose and Kitty Menendez.
Cooper praised Javier, saying, “I think he’s doing a really great job — he’s obviously terrifying –“. But he has a charm and a certain bravado that draws you in. And I think it’s very nuanced in the way he approaches this character. Because such a person is, frankly, like a narcissist. They draw you in, charm you, draw you in, make you feel important and noticed and loved, before they turn into this dark, evil monster. ”
Nicolas said of the intense scene with Javier, “It’s a very harsh juxtaposition of violence and love, so it was very impactful and definitely had a deep impact on me as an actor.”
“Monsters” is available on Netflix.