As a seasoned gamer who has dabbled in the virtual world of true crime investigations and courtroom dramas, I must admit that “Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story” has captivated me like none other. The fifth episode, “The Hurt Man,” was a masterpiece in storytelling, a testament to the craft of acting, and an emotional rollercoaster that left me speechless.
[This story contains mild spoilers to episode five, “The Hurt Man” in Monsters.]
The Netflix true-crime drama titled “Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story” garnered a mix of opinions and stirred up debates over its representation of the actual convicted murderers, but the limited series focusing on the Menendez brothers has earned universal praise for its standout bottle episode. This episode was tackled differently by the two main actors in this gripping two-handed performance.
In the fifth installment of “Monsters”, actor Cooper Koch portrays Erik Menendez, while Ari Graynor takes on the role of defense attorney Leslie Abramson. This episode, titled “The Hurt Man” and penned by co-creator Ian Brennan, delves into the life story of Erik, who was one of two sons arrested for the 1989 murder of their parents. Notably, this gripping tale is presented as a prolonged, 33-minute single shot close-up of Koch’s face, where he recounts the alleged 12 years of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse that he claims led him to commit matricide.
Koch shared with The Hollywood Reporter that he had been holding onto that script for quite some time before its filming, having received it as early as June 2023. The episode was filmed over two days in March. He admitted to always carrying the script with him and reading it daily, even before sleep. His method for this scene was simply to envision how the stories and memories presented would appear from the character’s viewpoint.
Instead of focusing broadly, Koch chose to delve deeply into understanding Erik Menendez’s mindset. He zeroed in on specific details from his recollections of the abuse, such as what they were wearing, the weather during those instances, and the decor of the room where the abuse allegedly took place. He mentioned these additional points to help him gain access to the emotions of a child who had been abused – a subject he had researched while working on his critically acclaimed performance.
He stated, ‘This made me fully engaged and receptive during our filming session.’ He implied that one must believe in the creation of such memories and trust they’ll remain authentic. When recalling them, they become genuine and tangible, enabling us to tap into the feelings he may have experienced.
During the two-day filming of “The Hurt Man,” I found myself reenacting a continuous scene four times over, portraying Menendez while unveiling heart-wrenching accounts of my character’s father, José Menendez (played by Javier Bardem), and his alleged abuse. I can honestly say that acting out these scenes was as challenging to perform as it is for viewers to witness.
He shared that it was truly tiring, as he confided in THR. Interestingly, this fatigue brought to mind some advice from one of his co-actors on the project, Dallas Roberts (who plays Dr. Jerome Oziel). During a rehearsal, Dallas had said something that resonated with him: “You get too tired to lie.” So, in a way, as exhaustion sets in, perhaps you become more honest.
In the given episode, Graynor portrayed Abramson, a character who spoke infrequently, challenging Koch’s Menedez. Remarkably, her face was not visible throughout the 30-plus minutes of screen time. However, this did not make the acting experience effortless for Graynor; she openly shared with THR about the strong connection that grew between her and Koch during filming, as well as her methods for handling the challenging material.
Graynor admitted to THR, “I postponed it for many months due to feeling intimated by it. I felt the need to truly comprehend Leslie, her character, and even embody her before diving deep into preparing that episode. The role demanded a lot of interjections, it required a lot of listening, as Leslie is portrayed as his lawyer, therapist, friend, and mother all at once. These roles have multiple facets and are not heavily verbally expressed, making it challenging to grasp how she would manage such a complex character. Moreover, I wanted to be there to support Cooper during this process.
In the latest episode, I found Graynor’s assessment of Koch’s work to be absolutely unmatched, and I couldn’t agree more with his praise for Brennan’s exceptional script in “The Hurt Man.” It’s rare to encounter a piece that shows genuine empathy towards characters like Erik Menendez who have endured the kind of abuse portrayed in this series. Truly remarkable!
She expressed that we both sensed not only its creative value, but that it may be a gift or an entity far beyond our comprehension. In other words, she believed this was something special. To put it into action, we employed ourselves as vessels, ensuring it wasn’t solely about us – instead, we provided the space for it to exist independently. For her personally, it was also about demonstrating empathetic listening as a model.
After filming each scene, Graynor mentioned that she and Koch would jointly return to her house every day, a place where they’d share tears, laughter, smoke cigarettes, and enjoy sushi together.
“We talked, and really held it in this very sacred space together,” she said.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is now streaming on Netflix.
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2024-09-30 23:24