Current:Home > My'Monsters' star Nicholas Alexander Chavez responds after Erik Menendez slams Netflix series-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
'Monsters' star Nicholas Alexander Chavez responds after Erik Menendez slams Netflix series
View Date:2024-12-23 18:51:14
Erik Menéndez isn't happy with a new Netflix show about him and his brother, and one of the series' stars is weighing in.
Nicholas Alexander Chavez, who plays Lyle Menéndez in the Ryan Murphy Netflix series "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story," on Monday spoke with USA TODAY after Erik Menéndez penned a statement slamming the show. At the premiere of Murphy's latest series "Grotesquerie," the actor, 25, reacted by expressing sympathy.
"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," he told USA TODAY.
In 1996, Lyle and Erik Menéndez were convicted of killing their parents and sentenced to life in prison. The brothers claimed their father, José Menéndez, had physically, sexually and emotionally abused them for years prior to the murders.
Netflix's "Monsters" dramatizes their story across nine episodes and stars Cooper Koch as Erik Menéndez, and Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny as Lyle and Erik's parents, José and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menéndez. The series is a follow-up to "Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" starring Evan Peters.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Erik Menendezslams Ryan Murphy, Netflix for 'dishonest portrayal' of his parent's murders
Chavez also told USA TODAY his research for "Monsters" was "extensive" and involved reviewing documentaries and books about the Menéndez brothers, as well as watching court TV footage from the time.
"With the court TV footage, you're getting a glimpse into what was happening in that time, but the show aims to fill out a lot more details than just the courtroom scenes," he said. "So that makes it interesting."
Shortly after the debut of "Monsters," Erik Menéndez slammed the show for its "horrible and blatant lies" in a statement issued by his wife.
Did Lyle Menendezwear a hair piece? Why it came up in pivotal scene of Netflix's new 'Monsters' series
"I can only believe they were done so on purpose," he said. "It is with a heavy heart that I say, I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent."
Some viewers have taken issue with the series appearing to float the idea that the Menéndez brothers may have been in an incestuous relationship. The two brothers kiss on the lips in one scene, while another moment shows their mother walking in on them showering together. The latter scene is framed as a theory on the case that journalist Dominick Dunne (Nathan Lane) is presenting rather than objective reality.
In his statement, Menéndez criticized Murphy for his "vile and appalling character portrayals of Lyle and of me and disheartening slander," asking, "Is the truth not enough?"
Contributing: Jay Stahl
veryGood! (22)
Related
- The Bachelorette's Desiree Hartsock Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 3 With Chris Siegfried
- The O.C.’s Mischa Barton Admits She Still Struggles With “Trauma” From Height of Fame
- 'This is against all rules': Israeli mom begs for return of 2 sons kidnapped by Hamas
- 104-year-old Chicago woman dies days after making a skydive that could put her in the record books
- Beyoncé's Grammy nominations in country categories aren't the first to blur genre lines
- Diamondbacks are stunning baseball world, leaving Dodgers on the brink of elimination
- Arkansas purges 427K from Medicaid after post-pandemic roll review; Advocates worry about oversights
- Wall Street Journal reporter loses appeal in Russia and will stay in jail until the end of November
- Gerry Faust, the former head football coach at Notre Dame, has died at 89
- Mexico says it has rejected US-funded migrant transit centers
Ranking
- Quincy Jones' Cause of Death Revealed
- Nebraska voters will decide at the ballot box whether public money can go to private school tuition
- London’s Luton Airport suspends flights after fire breaks out at one of its parking lots
- Hilarie Burton Shares Rare Insight Into Family Life With Jeffrey Dean Morgan
- Lala Kent Swears by This Virgo-Approved Accessory and Shares Why Stassi Schroeder Inspires Her Fall Style
- A spectacular solar eclipse will darken the sky Saturday. Will the one in April be better?
- 5 Things podcast: Israel hits Gaza with slew of airstrikes after weekend Hamas attacks
- 'Messi Meets America': Release date, trailer, what to know about Apple TV+ docuseries
Recommendation
-
Lane Kiffin puts heat on CFP bracket after Ole Miss pounds Georgia. So, who's left out?
-
Biden remains committed to two-state solution amid Israel-Hamas war, national security spokesman says
-
Nashville officer fatally shoots man with knife holding hostage, police say
-
Victim killed by falling mast on Maine schooner carrying tourists was a doctor
-
Inflation ticked up in October, CPI report shows. What happens next with interest rates?
-
Star witness Caroline Ellison starts testimony at FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial
-
Filing period for New Hampshire presidential primary opens
-
'Feels like the world is ending': Impacts of strikes in Gaza already devastating