As a filmmaker, I can confidently say that the production of “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” was no walk in the park – it was more like wading through mud! The challenges we faced were as relentless as the tow truck calls we had to make for our stuck car. But just like Aaron and his co-stars, we persevered, adapting our shots from the waist up when the bottom of their pants turned into a muddy mess.
[This story contains spoilers from the eighth episode of American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, “Odin.”]
Playing Aaron Hernandez in episode eight of the FX series ‘American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez’ was no easy task for me, Josh Rivera. Portraying a character who was once a star NFL player with the New England Patriots, later convicted for the murder of Odin Lloyd – a friend and potential in-law – was deeply personal and emotionally taxing. Lloyd was the boyfriend of Shaneah Jenkins, my character’s future sister-in-law, and our casual hangouts added an extra layer of complexity to this tragic tale.
Rivera reflects on reenacting the gruesome murder by saying, ‘It struck me deeply in a unique manner.’ While discussing true crimes, there’s often an emotional barrier we maintain to keep us detached from the harsh truth. But performing that scene made me truly feel the weight of what actually happened.
J. Alex Brinson, portraying Lloyd, put considerable effort into making Lloyd’s loss of life have a profound impact. “The core principle that guided me in crafting and growing this character was the fundamental human instinct and necessity to survive and strive for a rich, fulfilling life, aiming to achieve one’s maximum potential.
Despite hailing from Saint Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Lloyd spent most of his childhood in a challenging part of Dorchester, Boston. To truly embody Lloyd’s character, Brinson explains, “I studied interviews with his sister, with [Shaneah] his mom, and aimed to incorporate those movements and mannerisms into my portrayal.
Similar to Hernandez, Lloyd participated in football, albeit not at the professional level of the NFL. Instead, he was part of the Boston Bandits in a semi-professional league, harboring aspirations of making it to the NFL someday. Given this, it’s understandable that he admired Hernandez, who had already accomplished that goal. However, the story doesn’t kick off with football. Prior to Lloyd’s appearance on screen, there’s a shot focusing on Caribbean cuisine as a tribute to his roots, followed by a woman preparing a family meal. Since Lloyd’s initial words are “Hey, Ma”, it’s immediately evident that he is cherished and holds significance in someone’s life.
Emphasizing Lloyd’s humanity was crucial for director Steven Canals, renowned for his work on Pose, a series he co-created with Ryan Murphy of American Sports Story. As a person of color himself, Canals felt particularly compelled to portray Aaron (who was part Latin) in a sensitive manner since the victims of the crime were all men of color. He believes that the issues of race and class play an important role in this narrative as well.
Before embarking on the project of American Sports Story, Canals had previously familiarized himself with various resources related to it. He had listened to the Gladiator podcast, which is the basis for the series from The Boston Globe and Wondery. Additionally, he read the 2018 book The Truth About Aaron: My Journey To Understand My Brother by Jonathan Hernandez, who is more commonly known as D.J. Hernandez. In many aspects, the show Pose, which tackled a broad range of topics such as HIV and death, greatly assisted Canals in expressing these complexities to Brinson and ultimately the audience. During the production of Pose, our conversations were primarily focused on ensuring the actors were emotionally stable, as we asked them to delve into deeply emotional and potentially frightening places. Therefore, the experience from Pose equipped Canals for working on American Sports Story, as he was again required to have critical, intense discussions with the cast.
Since the very start, from our very first encounter onward, I made it a point to speak with him privately before even filming a single scene, and shared my sentiment: “What truly matters to me is that we pay tribute to Odin’s life. I don’t want this narrative, especially not this specific episode, to appear exploitative. I aim to ensure that we recognize the reality of this man, this Black man who lived, who was tragically taken away.
Whenever I worked with J. Alexander, we’d often pause for a private chat to check on his well-being. I’d ask about his feelings and emotional state, as the tasks we were asking him to perform were quite intense and potentially distressing. This gave him an opportunity to express himself freely.
Just like Rivera, I recall engaging in discussions with Josh about the challenge of building up to the scenes where Aaron takes down Odin. It was a demanding task indeed.
Brinson, who is married in real life to Lindsay Mendez, portraying Aaron’s loyal older cousin Tanya Singleton on screen, put in great effort to maintain the authenticity of his character Odin without interfering with the narrative. He kept up the idea in his mind that Odin and Aaron were friends, so as Odin, he said, “This was the start of something wonderful for me, and we were going to grow our bond from a familial perspective, as brothers-in-law. But then Aaron started acting strangely. I sensed there was something off about him, but I didn’t think he would endanger my life.” He also employed self-deception techniques, feeling that going through a deeply emotional personal phase helped him portray Odin’s human aspects more accurately.
Regardless of feelings, significant production hurdles arose. “As a filmmaker,” Canals admits, “that might have been the most difficult day on set I’ve ever experienced. It was truly challenging.” He recalls that they filmed in February, specifically in New Jersey, which meant it was freezing cold. However, the scene was intended to be set in Massachusetts during summer.
As a gamer, battling through virtual terrains is usually my challenge, but last filming day took a real-life twist. “The weather forecast was ominous,” I confided. “A massive downpour hit us right before our shoot, turning everything into a slushy mess. It was muddy underfoot due to the rain, and we had to keep moving quickly. The production team had their work cut out for them. We ended up spending nearly three hours of our shooting time creating a safe path for the actors that wasn’t just mud, as they might have sunk into the ground otherwise.
However, we faced additional hurdles during filming. “I believe we were shooting around eight or nine in the evening, yet trouble arose when the car became stuck in the mud. Not once, not twice, but three times we had to summon a tow truck to extract the vehicle due to its persistent predicament. The performers had only a few costume changes at their disposal, but the pervasive mud made filming certain scenes difficult. Eventually, I decided to shoot from the waist up because the actors’ shoes and lower pants were caked in mud.” So, it was quite challenging.
Regarding everything that transpired, Canals notes that Brinson and Rivera, who harbor a sincere fondness for one another, remained utterly focused throughout. “It was agonizing,” Brinson admits. “Josh was tasked with the process of ending life, while I found myself struggling to keep living.
The “Dirty Pain” episode of Canals, specifically episode seven, played a crucial role in making the subsequent episode, “Odin,” feel authentic. This is due primarily to the script’s strength and its effective portrayal of Aaron’s growing paranoia. It’s no coincidence that as Aaron’s drug use intensifies, his paranoia becomes more pronounced. The character Sherrod, a former street friend who may have enabled him earlier and was shot by Aaron, reappears menacingly via text messages. These threats, coupled with other pressures such as Aaron’s desire to be a good partner to Shayana, a father to his daughter, an NFL star, and someone fearing exposure by this man, all converge at once. In the seventh episode, Aaron finds himself unable to escape these mounting pressures; instead, he continues to descend further into his spiral.
In line with this, the final scene of episode seven depicts Hernandez positioned before his hidden cache of weapons in a private apartment, which his fiancée remains unaware of, apparently readying himself for a fight.
Canals explains that since Aaron isn’t alive, he couldn’t speak directly about himself. Instead, his focus was on delving into Aaron’s mind and understanding how those who knew him best perceived him. He notes that people may be different behind closed doors compared to their public persona. He found Aaron to be complex and tormented, but he questions if this is an accurate portrayal since he can’t communicate with Aaron personally. So, he was trying to piece together all the various aspects of Aaron he understood.
Episode eight plays a pivotal role in shaping the overall narrative of the series, not only influencing the events of the last two episodes. As Canals puts it, “This is the turning point that alters everything.” Interestingly, Aaron had previously engaged in criminal activities, but Odin’s death was different. The reason being, the emotional bond between Aaron and Odin made the event more impactful. In simpler terms, some of Aaron’s past actions might have been easier to brush off due to less personal involvement, but with Odin, the connection was deeper.
Canals remarks that since J. Alexander is an extraordinary actor and a wonderful person, it’s easy to fall in love with his portrayal of Odin. Thus, it’s heart-wrenching because it leaves one questioning, ‘Why would [Aaron] do something like this?’
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American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez releases new episodes Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on FX and Hulu.
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2024-11-01 22:56