On October 28, the defense team of Eric and Lyle Menendez submitted a plea for clemency for the brothers, who were convicted in 1996 of first-degree murder in the 1989 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez. Public sympathy for the brothers and general interest in the case arose from Ryan Murphy’s scripted series and subsequent Netflix documentary, which highlighted the physical, emotional and sexual abuse the two siblings endured at the hands of their father. . And while freeing the brothers, who could be released from prison after their case is reviewed on Dec. 11, Murphy didn’t explicitly intend to tell his story, he says the backlash from public advocates is somewhat predictable. was
“I can’t say I wasn’t surprised, because when we finished shooting it and I watched the episodes, I thought they were incredibly powerful from so many different perspectives,” Murphy told Los Angeles. said at the Netflix FYC panel for the series in Angels. November 2. “That was always the goal of the show, to show different complex points of view, but I thought what it really did about raising and asking questions about sexual abuse was very, very powerful. And I I understand, love it or not, there’s a movement with young people who want to talk about it in a way that wasn’t available in 1989. So believe it or not, that’s fine What it did, I think, was to start a conversation about the subject, and a lot of people got involved And shared his opinion after watching the show, which was very interesting.
Kim Kardashian has been one of the most outspoken celebrities on the issue, writing an article for NBC News calling for the release of Lyle and Eric after meeting them in prison.
“Kim Kardashian called me a month before the show came out and asked to see her, and I said, of course, she’s a friend, and she’s someone who’s really into prison reform, and “She got involved right away, and the DA and the governor’s office were flooded with a lot of feedback from people who had great opinions about the show,” Murphy explained during the panel. “So I think that brought up something interesting and more important for me, when you make something, whether people love it or hate it, does it start a conversation about something. I think the show definitely did it that way. [co-creator] Ian [Brennan] And I was very proud of that.”
The performances of Nicolas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch, who portrayed Lyle and Eric respectively in the series, played a major role in capturing the public sentiment. Both actors were new to the Ryan Murphy universe — Chavez later tried Murphy’s FX horror series — and the Menendez brothers to an extent.
“I wasn’t aware of the story until I auditioned and then once I got it, you’re trying to do a quick research process,” Chavez said. said “You’re trying to learn as much as you can so you don’t make a fool of yourself in the room after auditioning for Ryan Murphy. It was an ongoing journey in terms of what we were able to learn and then marry him. Karna that was written for us.
The casting process was a long one, with Murphy and casting director Tiffany Little Canfield spending six months searching for their Lyle and Eric.
“I immediately felt, yes, these are our guys,” Murphy said when he got to Koch and Chavez’s audition tapes. “In a process like this, you have to get a lot of approval and when you do network and studio auditions, you usually get five or six people per part, and you see them all, And then the conversation happens, but I don’t want to do that because I feel like I don’t want to make it if I don’t have these two guys, so for the ultimate comeback, they showed up and It was just them. And they were kind of shocked, just sitting in a room looking around. And I said, ‘I believe you and I don’t want you to feel that.’ has any competition because for me and Tiffany, you don’t.’
Javier Bardem, who portrays his father Jose on the series, joked about how things would have turned out if he hadn’t been offered the part by Chavez and Koch, after hearing about the many auditions Chavez and Koch had to take to get their parts.
“Thank God I never auditioned for it. I never get hired,” she said. “I’m terrible at auditioning. It’s amazing what an actor has to go through to get work. How hard it is to stay creative when the pressure is on. In your case, it’s John. “That it can be a life-changing experience as it is, and to be able to give my best, it always amazes me, the fact that an actor can actually perform in an audition,” he said. He added, praising the coach and Chavez.
The theme of safety was one that was regularly brought up during the panel discussion, with actors remarking on how their fellow cast members and crew supported them as they tackled the series’ difficult topics. This was especially true of the fifth episode, “The Hurtman,” which is, in its entirety, a conversation between Eric and his lawyer Leslie Abramson, played by Ari Greiner, during which She described the details of her childhood sexual abuse. .
“There’s absolutely no way I could have done it without him,” Koch said of Graynor, who was only shown from behind in the episode when the camera focused on Eric. “She held such a beautiful place for me, and she became Leslie, who I think gave me a chance to be Eric. I’m the only person who saw her perform and I feel so lucky to have that.” I had to witness it.
Credit : www.hollywoodreporter.com
