Monsters cast respond to Erik Menendez's statement slamming the "inaccurate" series

26 September 2024, 16:37

Monsters cast respond to Erik Menendez&squot;s statement slamming the "dishonest" series — Monsters cast respond to Erik Menendez's statement slamming the "dishonest" series. Picture: Getty

By Capital Buzz

Monsters creator Ryan Murphy and actors Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch have now all come forward and responded to Erik Menendez's statement against the Netflix show.

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Following the real-life Erik Menendez coming forward to slam Ryan Murphy for "blatant lies" in his controversial Netflix show Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story, the cast have come forward sharing their 'empathy' for the brothers depicted in the show.

Actors Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch portrayed brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez who murdered their parents José and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menendez, and are currently serving life in prison.

After the show dropped Erik released a statement, via his wife Tammi, accusing Ryan of creating a false "caricature" of his brother Lyle, adding: "It is sad for me to know that Netflix’s dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime have taken the painful truths several steps backward."

Read more: Netflix's Monsters Slammed For "Implying" Incest Between Erik And Lyle Menendez
Read more: Did Lyle Menendez Wear A Wig? The True Story Behind His Hair Loss Explained

The main cast of Netflix&squot;s "Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story" — The main cast of Netflix's "Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story". Picture: Getty

At the premiere of Ryan's latest project Grotesquerie, Nicholas Alexander Chaves who portrayed older brother Lyle told USA Today: "I can only respond with sympathy and empathy in that I can only imagine how difficult it is to have the most traumatic moment of your life put up there on the screen for everyone to see."

Co-star Cooper, who portrayed Erik, also responded to Erik's statement, saying that he 'stands by him'. "[Erik’s reaction] definitely affected me and it made me feel things,” he told Variety.

He went on: “I sympathise with him, I empathise with him. I get it. I understand how difficult it would be to have the worst part of your life be televised for millions of people to see. It’s so exposing. I understand how he feels and I stand by him.”

Cooper Koch plays Erik Menendez in "Monsters". Picture: Netflix

“In terms of approaching him and approaching the part, I just really wanted to do as much research and dig really deep into myself to really portray him with integrity and just be as authentic as possible to support him and also to support his family and all the people who stand with him,” Cooper continued.

As the show's creator Ryan has faced the most backlash for the show, similar to the feedback he received when he created Netflix's Dahmer, a TV dramatisation of Jeffrey Dahmer's crimes.

In response to Erik's criticism, Ryan told E! News: “I think that’s interesting because I know he hasn’t watched the show. So I find that curious. I hope he does watch it. I think if he did watch it he would be incredibly proud of Cooper Koch who plays him.”

Ryan Murphy at Netflix&squot;s "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story" premiere — Ryan Murphy at Netflix's "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story" premiere. Picture: Getty

Defending his choices when writing the show, Ryan continued: “It’s a 35 to 30-year-old case. We show many, many, many perspectives. That’s what the show does in every episode.

"You are given a new theory based on people who were either involved or covered the case. Some of the controversy seems to be people thinking for example, that the brothers are having an incestuous relationship. There are people who say that never happened. There were people who said it did happen.”

He concluded his statement asserting that the show spent "60-65%" of the story focused on the brothers recounting their experience of abuse at the hands of their parents.

He said: "In fact, we have a 30-minute episode that Cooper Koch [who plays Erik] does so brilliantly. Just Erik’s words about what happened to him and why he did what he did."