Airs Wednesdays on FX. Grotesque follows Detective Lois, who, in addition to family problems at home, believes that a serial killer intended to anger her. She hesitantly teams up with her sister Megan, hoping that her experience can help the case. Together, the women become a surprising but powerful duo who set out to put an end to the string of murders that have tainted their small town.
Grotesque written and created by Ryan Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz and Joe Baken, starring Emmy Award winner Niecy Nash-Betts. The rest of the cast includes Courtney B. Vance, Lesley Manville, Michaela Diamond, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Raven Goodwin and Travis Kelsey. Chavez and Diamond say they’re drawn to any series produced by Murphy, with the latter also interested in the unlikely friendship between her character and Nash-Betts.
Connected
On-screen rant interviewed Chavez and Diamond about stepping into their roles as Megan’s sister and Charlie’s father, as well as the roles they play throughout Grotesque Season 1.
Chavez and Diamond shared their favorite Ryan Murphy shows
“I think a director who has the opportunity to direct Glee and Dahmer is rare.”
What attracted you Grotesque and made you take part?
Michaela Diamond: Ryan Murphy called. When Ryan Murphy calls and says you’ve booked the role, you jump right on that plane. And I also think that I only got to read the first script when I commissioned it, and I was drawn to this unlikely friendship between these two women who I think at another point in their lives wouldn’t. We don’t really give each other friend a chance.
But I think that sisters Megan and Lois see something attractive in another person, whether they themselves are broken and see it in the other person, or whether it represents some kind of hope for both of them. This is really where it all started for me. Also, how fun is it to play a nun in a horror genre? There is a world of choice out there.
Nicholas Alexander Chavez: We were in the final stages of filming Monsters when Ryan called me and told me about Grotesquerie. He said, “Nick, I have a really interesting new project that I’m working on. I want to share some scripts with you,” and as soon as I started reading them, I was immediately hooked. I knew this would give me the opportunity to bring a different element of my creativity to the project since he’s not playing a real person who existed, so I could use my own imagination to bring out different aspects of who Charlie’s father is, which was a great opportunity.
Ryan Murphy is behind many great shows. Was there anyone you saw beforehand that made you think, “I need to be in his project”?
Nicholas Alexander Chavez: I saw Dahmer when it came out and I was shocked. I was blown away by Niecy and Evan. When I had the opportunity to work with Nishi on this project, it really made it complete for me.
Michaela Diamond: It has nothing to do with the genre, but I was tuned into Glee as an audience. I think a director who has the opportunity to direct Glee and Dahmer is rare. I don’t know how someone can have such humor and camp and go for something so incredibly dark and evil. I think that’s Ryan’s point. This is the mind of a genius.
Diamond enjoys the contrasting energies of Sister Megan and Detective Lois
“I’m incredibly active, and she’s incredibly calm in a way. Together, it’s a really fun moment of solving mysteries and crimes.”
How would each of you describe your characters to someone who hasn’t seen the show?
Nicholas Alexander Chavez: Father Charlie is tasked with trying to revive the church and keep the community together in the midst of all these really, really terrible murders. In addition, he also brings many unconventional ideas, which he considers progressive, among the more traditional members of the Catholic Church. He’s a really interesting character and has a lot of different goals. And then he also struggles with the discrepancy between what he feels on the inside and what he is assigned to do on the outside. So yeah, really convincing.
Michaela Diamond: The string of murders happening in this town has real religious overtones and references. Sister Megan, a nun and journalist, swaggers into the station of Lois Tryon, the brilliant lead detective on the case, the only one who can solve it and prove her worth and how she’s doing. be very helpful in helping her solve them. Together they make a really interesting duo. I think they’re together, their energy—I’m incredibly forward, and she’s incredibly calm in a way. Together it’s a really fun moment of solving mysteries and crimes.
About Ryan Murphy’s grotesque
On FX’s Grotesquerie, a series of heinous crimes alarm a small community. “Detective Lois Tryon” feels that these crimes are very personal, as if someone – or something – is taunting her. At home, Lois faces strained relationships with her daughter, her husband undergoing long-term hospital treatment, and her own inner demons. With no leads and no idea where to turn, she enlists the help of “Sister Megan,” a nun and journalist from the Catholic Guardian.
Sister Megan, with her difficult past, has seen the worst of humanity, but still believes in its ability to do good. Lois, on the other hand, fears that the world is succumbing to evil. As Lois and sister Megan piece together the clues, they find themselves trapped in an ominous web that seems to raise more questions than answers.
Watch our other interviews with Grotesque throw:
Source: Screen Rant Plus
Grotesque airs Wednesdays at 10:00 pm ET/PT on FX and is available to stream the next day on Hulu.