This article contains references to sexual abuse.
Still in the footsteps of its highly successful first season, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story was released on Netflix to high viewership and high conversation across the internet. The latest installment of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s hit crime anthology focuses on a pair of siblings who murdered their parents in 1989. Although Lyle (played by General Hospital Star Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Eric (They / thems Cooper Koch), committed a terrible act for which they were sentenced to life in prison, the show devs in the extenuating circumstances that put them in a more sympathetic light.
Javier Bardem plays their father José Menéndez, who is painted as a villain just as often as he is a victim. He was initially shown as a domineering and verbally abusive father, but the brothers discovered during their trial that he sexually abused them both as well, which was the reason they killed him. As for their mother Kitty (played by Chloë Sevigny), Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story Treated her more neutrally, suggesting that she enabled the abuse and covered for it – although it should be noted that The siblings accuse you of participating in real life.
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Screen Rant Interviewed Bardem and Sevigny about their roles in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez StoryAs well as Murphy and Brennan’s creative interpretation of the shocking tale. Bardem praised Murphy in particular for his supportive nature, while Sevigny shared what she found most challenging about playing Kitty.
Javier Bardem & Chloë Sevigny trusted Ryan Murphy’s vision despite the sensitive material of monsters
“I knew he was going to take care of it right.”
Screen Rant: This show had me gripped the entire time. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from it, with magnificent performances all around. Javier, why did you decide to take on the role of Jose Menendez without reading the script?
Javier Bardem: Ryan Murphy, [whom] I knew since 2009. Eat pray love, we did that together, and I had the greatest experience with him. I adore him, and back in the day, he treated me so well. I mean, I loved him.
Second, I contacted Dahmer, and I said: “I want to work with you in one of those”, and he came back with it. I did not know about the story because it is a very well-known story in the States, but not so well-known in Spain or outside the States. When I started to dig, I was scared, like, “Wow, this is very delicate material,” but I knew he was going to get it right. Then I said, “Well, let’s jump in,” because I think he’s going to open up a conversation that’s very much needed, which is about childhood trauma abuse, whether it’s physical, emotional, or sexual. I think it’s very powerful, in that sense.
Screen Rant: Chloë, you mentioned that the role was a big challenge. What are some of the most challenging aspects of portraying Kitty Menendez in this?
Chloë Sevigny: I think [the question of]”Are we all monsters? Are we all victims?” is part of the highlight of the show. To play a woman who is very flawed, but also give her some depth and emotionality and vulnerability and let people find some empathy or sympathy for her, even if she’s doing things that are reprehensible, is a challenge. To strike a balance and also play her from different perspectives of people is very challenging.
For me, I haven’t done that many roles where there was that kind of physicality; Where she burst out in anger, smashing dishes and things like that. It was new for me to access this kind of anger or rage. And it’s not something I always enjoy tapping into, so I’d say that’s challenging as well.
Javier Bardem explains his take on the themes in Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez
“How do we do anything that is about justice when everyone has an opinion about it?”
Screen Rant: Has Menendez’s family’s response to the series made you reevaluate the material? What do you hope audiences consider about The Real Brothers after watching the series?
Javier Bardem: No, no. I think we did what we did, and we did it with our best intentions. And since there are many things that we don’t know and nobody knows, the show doesn’t want to make any statement about anything. There are real proven facts that are shown in the show, but also there are many other theories that are explored there because everyone has an opinion on it, including the media.
I think that’s what’s powerful about the show’s world. How do we do anything that is about justice when everyone has an opinion about it? It’s hard to decide what’s true and what’s not, and that’s one of the themes in the show, I think.
About Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
Following the massive success of Dahmer, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s true-crime anthology series returns with Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, chronicling the case of the real-life brothers who were convicted in 1996 of the murders of their parents , José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Mendez.
While the prosecution argued that they were seeking to inherit their family fortune, the brothers argued — and remain steadfast to this day as they serve life sentences without the possibility of parole — that their actions stemmed from fear of a lifetime of physical harm. , emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents. Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story dives into the historic case that took the world by storm, paved the way for audiences’ modern fascination with true crime, and in turn asks the audience: Who are the real monsters?
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Source: Screen Rant Plus