before Cooper Cottage has been cast Monstershe playtested Eric Menendez In two other high-profile projects.
“The reason he's been with me for so long is because I auditioned to play him seven years ago Law and order “The series and the Lifetime movie,” said the 28-year-old Koch. GQ Australia In an interview published on Sunday, December 8, in reference to the year 2017 Law and order is a real crime and Menendez: Blood brothers.
Koch almost got the role both times. “I made it to the finals in both rounds, and I didn't get it in the end,” he said. “But I felt like I had to play this role.”
Past opportunities paved the way for Koch to learn about the Menendez case – and get ready when it was officially cast Ryan MurphyThe hit Netflix series.
“I got to audition and watched the demo videos for the first time,” he recalls. I was very impressed and believed them immediately. That's when I saw all the similarities and became very obsessed with the case and its story.
Koch was proud of himself On the “patience” that led To his turn Monsters. “I was recording, recording, auditioning, auditioning for seven years,” he noted. “Then you finally get what's supposed to happen.”
Season 2 of the hit Netflix series premiered in October, and dated Lyle Menéndez (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) And the arrest of Eric (Koch) in 1990 on charges of killing their parents, Jose (Javier Bardem)and kitty(Chloe Sevigny). Inspired by trial footage and subsequent interviews, Monsters Key moments reversed From the siblings' lives before and after they were sentenced to life without parole for shooting their mother and father.
Episodes 4 and 5 pIt received praise from critics and fans For how she handled Eric and Lyle's claims that they killed their parents in self-defense after years of alleged physical, emotional and sexual abuse. However, the show received backlash for other inaccurate information about the Menendez brothers, including the insinuation that they were in a sexual relationship.
“I thought we went beyond the lies and portrayal of Lyle's destructive character, and created a caricature of Lyle rooted in the outrageous and blatant lies that are rampant on the show,” said a statement from Eric, now 53, which was shared via Lyle's Facebook page. “I can only believe they did it on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I say, I believe Ryan Murphy could not be so naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives to do this without ill intent.”
Eric explained that he wasn't happy to hear how he and Lyle, now 56, were getting on. (The Menendez brothers supposedly do not have access to streaming services at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in California. However, their family members apparently saw the information and were able to pass it on to Eric and Lyle. About the contents of the written presentation.)
“It is sad for me to know that Netflix’s dishonest depiction of the tragedies surrounding our crime has taken the painful facts back several steps — back in time to an era in which prosecutors built a narrative on a belief system that males were not sexually abused,” Eric’s statement continued. “Rape traumatizes women differently.” These terrible lies have been disrupted and exposed by countless brave victims over the past two decades who have broken through their personal shame and courageously spoken out. So Murphy now crafts his own terrible narrative by portraying the vile, horrific character of Lyle and Me and the disheartening slander. Is the truth not enough?
Monsters An instant hit on Netflix, Koch earned a 2025 Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. In October he spoke about it His relationship with Eric.
“I wrote to Eric a long time ago. I wrote him seven years ago,” he revealed during an appearance on SiriusXM's Andy Cohen Live. “A long time ago. I think it got lost in the mail because he gets a lot of mail.”
Koch did not hear a response from Eric at first however I got a chance to talk to him after Monsters He was released. (Koch and Kim Kardashian He visited Richard J. Donovan in September to meet with Eric and Lyle.)
“Ryan Murphy's Monster” shed light on some of the most famous true crime cases, and sparked backlash along the way. The first season debuted in 2022 and revolved around Evan Peters' portrayal of Jeffrey Dahmer. Monster, which also starred Niecy Nash, came under fire after the family of Dahmer's victims revealed that they had not been consulted about[…]
“It was just a long time coming. But when I met them, it was so natural like I already knew them. “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 he's nice.”
He continued: “I talked to Lyle a lot and he told me he finally watched Episode 5 (of Monsters) and it was very emotional for him and he just told me I did a great job. He said I got Eric, so that was really rewarding.”
A hut remained Outspoken about his support For Eric and Lyle, the brothers' futures remain up in the air. (The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office recently recommended… Re-judgment in Eric and Lyle's case.)
“It is my fervent hope that we can correct this injustice and address this long and devastating trauma,” Koch said. GQ. “If I had anything to do with it, I'm very happy. But there are a lot of people working behind the scenes who are really helping.
