In 1996, Lyle and Erik Menendez were sentenced to life imprisonment following the highly-publicized brutal murder of their parents Kitty and José. The case rattled the nation because it was always assumed the brothers’ motive was purely financial. Decades later, their real motives were revealed, which may be more horrific than previously thought.
Following the success of Monsters: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story chronicling the life of one the most brutal and high-profile murderers in America, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan release the next chapter of their anthology limited series focusing on the Menendez brothers.
Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story appears to be a case of art imitating life, before life imitates art again. Says co-creator Ryan Murphy, “Good reviews are nice, but it’s to know that you’ve actually made a difference in our justice system.” It’s also powerful storytelling.
“The purpose of the show was to present complicated points of view about sexual abuse,” continues Murphy. Around that time, there were few avenues for young people to discuss it. “I wanted to launch a conversation about that topic.”
Following the launch of the series, the DA in California received many communications insisting the case be reopened.
How The Main Characters Were Cast?
Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik (Cooper Koch) were toddlers when the events happened. They immersed themselves in television and newspaper footage to prepare for their roles. “Then it was a case of marrying that with the scripts that were written for us,” says Kock. Ryan also knew that Javier Bardem who plays José, and Chloë Sevigny who plays Kitty were definitely going to be in the show.
(José Menendez) Javier Bardem and (Kitty Menendez) Chloë Sevigny Photo by Presley Ann/ Getty Images for Netflix
“When you go into a project, you plant your tent poles,” shares Murphy. He was looking for new and fresh voices to complement the marquee actors. The casting process took around six months of constant and exhaustive auditioning.
Then he received Chavez and Koch’s audition videos and Ryan instantly knew they were the ones. After all the studio clearances and approvals, they had a conversation about their characters.
“For the final comeback, Nicholas and Cooper showed up. It was only them. They were shocked. I said, ‘I believe in you,‘” adds Murphy. They rehearsed three or four of the most difficult scenes together after they first met each other. “It wasn’t an audition. It was a coronation.”
Javier Bardem who plays the harsh patriarch, first heard of the case when he met Ryan Murphy. “I always felt protected and safe in his hands. He does thorough research on everything he does. How are we going to talk about these very delicate issues? We sat down and he expressed what he considered was the best way to show it and not show it. And I loved it. And I went full into the process,” Bardem recalls.
When Ryan approached Chloë Sevigny for the role of Kitty, he described the overall series and what he wanted to say. “Can we do this? Do we want to?” exclaims Sevigny. Fortunately, the abuse was mentioned or implied. The actress was excited to play different interpretations and versions of Kitty Menendez to search for her multi-dimensional truth.
Adds Sevigny, “You rarely see a mother that is struggling in the way that this woman did on screen.” Layering her character was paramount.
Eventually the four actors met to test the elasticity of the Menendez family dynamic. It had to feel “lived in.” Appropriately, their first rehearsal was the murder scene while Kitty and José were relaxing in front of the television.
Prominent investigative journalist Dominick Dunne (Nathan Lane) helped shape the public perception of the Menendez brothers as victims rather than perpetrators in his 1990 Vanity Fair article The Nightmare on Elm Drive.
“The show asks the question, Who is the monster? Are they born or made?’” postulates Lane. Especially in the context of the family. “It’s fascinating to write about cultural monstrosities.”
Tenuous family relationships feature heavily in Monsters. Leslie Abramson (Ari Gaynor) is Erik’s main defense attorney. In order to win her role, she auditioned for two character-defining scenes – when you first meet her at the adoption agency discussing what happens when kids don’t get the love they need and the first time she meets Erik.
Lyle’s wig features both for comic relief and as a bonafide character. “It was so about his vulnerability, and the father’s point of view,” mentions Murphy.
Episode 5 – The Hurt Man
This is the pinnacle of the series right at the mid-point where Erik reveals to Leslie the extent of his abuse in what is essentially a two-hander – a play. There’s a lot of raw exposition.
“In the script, before there’s any dialogue, it talks about how it’s one shot,” notes Gaynor. “It was dramaturgy. Erik’s talking about his past, specifically the very famous ‘Hurt Man’ quote.”
It was rehearsed in one day and filmed eight times in its entirety over three days.
Ryan Murphy’s Closing Words
Ultimately Ryan is looking for great artistry and great collaborators to work with.
“When I first started writing scripts, I was so adamant about telling actors what to do. That’s the amateur beginning where you’d have a character and then a parenthetical – joyously, angry, furious,” states Ryan.
“The reason why I think Nicholas, Cooper and Ari got these parts was because they took a shot, were brave and interpreted the characters through their own lenses. They were not trying to please me, trick me, or win me over. They were interpreting through their own point of view. That’s what I long for – a point of view and a strong hook. And something that surprises me and makes me think, ‘I never thought of it that way. That’s better than what I originally had.’”
“It’s like music. If somebody else sings your song in a different voice, that’s fascinating.”
[More: Deconstructing “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”]
