Cooper Koch's monsters were tested for Erik Menendez in other designs
Before Cooper Koch he was thrown in Monstershe auditioned to play Erik Menendez in the other two senior projects.
“The reason why he stayed with me for a long time is because I played with him seven years ago Law and Order series and a Lifetime movie,” Koch, 28, said GQ Australia in an interview published on Sunday, December 8, referring to 2017 Law & Order True Crime again Menendez: Blood Brothers.
Koch nearly caught it both times. “I reached the last two rounds and ended up not getting it,” he said. “But I felt like I had to play this part.”
Past opportunities have paved the way for Koch to learn about the Méndez case — and prepare for when he is officially thrown. Ryan Murphy's hit Netflix series.
“I got an interview and watched the test videos for the first time,” he recalled. “I was deeply moved by the believers right away. It was then that I discovered all the similarities and became very concerned about the case and their story. “
Koch also prided himself on his “perseverance,” which led to his role Monsters. “I've been recording and recording, researching and experimenting, for seven years,” he said. “Then you finally get what's supposed to happen.”
Season 2 of the Netflix series premiered in October and was written by Lyle Menéndez (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and the arrest of Erik (Koch) in 1990 for the murder of their parents, José (Javier Bardem) and Kitty (Chloe Sevigny). Getting inspiration from the photos of the case and the interviews that followed, Monsters it showed key moments in the brothers' lives before and after they were sentenced to life in prison without parole for shooting their mother and father.
Episodes 4 and 5 received critical and fan praise for the way it dealt with Erik and Lyle's claims that they killed their parents in self-defense following years of alleged physical, emotional and sexual abuse. However, the show has received backlash for other inaccuracies by the Menéndez brothers, including the suggestion that they are in a sexual relationship.
“I believed that we have gone beyond the lies and portrayal of Lyle's villainous characters, creating an image of Lyle that focuses on the horrible and crude lies prevalent in this game,” read a statement from Erik, now 53, shared on Lyle's Facebook page. “I believe that they did this on purpose. With a heavy heart I say, I believe that Ryan Murphy cannot be ignorant and inaccurate about the facts of our lives to do this without malicious intent. “
Erik has made it clear that he is not happy to hear how he and Lyle, who is now 56 years old, look. (The Menéndez brothers likely do not have access to streaming services at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional in California. Their family members, however, appear to be watching and are able to relay information to Erik and Lyle about the content of the scripted program. )
“It saddens me to know that Netflix's dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crimes has taken the painful truths back – back to an era when the prosecutor built a narrative around the belief system that men were not sexually assaulted, and that men experience rape trauma differently than women,” Erik's statement continued. “Those terrible lies were disrupted and exposed by countless brave victims over the past two decades who have come forward in their shame and bravely spoken out. So now Murphy shapes his grisly narrative with ugly and shocking images of Lyle and I's characters and depressing slander. Is the truth not enough?”
Monsters became an instant hit on Netflix, earning Koch a 2025 Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. In October, she talked about her relationship with Erik.
“I wrote to Erik a long time ago. I wrote to him like seven years ago,” he said during an appearance on SiriusXM Andy Cohen Live. “It's been a long time. I think you got lost in the post office because you get a lot of mail.”
Koch didn't hear from Erik at first but got a chance to talk to him afterwards Monsters he was released. (Koch once Kim Kardashian visited the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in September to meet Erik and Lyle.)
Ryan Murphy's Monster has brought to light some of the most infamous true crime cases – and moved the backlash out of the way. The first season began in 2022 and focused on Evan Peters' portrayal of Jeffrey Dahmer. The Monster, which also starred Niecy Nash, drew criticism after the family of Dahmer's victims revealed they had not been interviewed. […]
“It was a long time coming. But when I met them, it was normal that I knew them,” Koch recalled. “Because I know them. And maybe it was weird for them because I know a lot about them and they don't know a lot about me. But it's good.”
He continued: “I was talking to Lyle a lot and he told me that he finally watched episode 5 [of Monsters] and he was very upset and he just told me that I did a good job. He said I found Erik, so that was really rewarding.”
Koch is still open about his support for Erik and Lyle as the future of the brothers is still up in the air. (The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office recently recommended a mistrial in Erik and Lyle's case.)
“I'm very hopeful that we can right that injustice and heal that long-standing, painful trauma,” Koch said. GQ. “If I did something with it, I'm very happy. But there are a lot of people working behind the scenes who really help.”
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