Convicted murderer Erik Menendez may have harshly condemned Ryan Murphy's controversial Netflix series, Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez, for his nuanced portrayal of his brother Lyle Menendez's murder of his parents in 1989 and the criminal trials that followed. But the California prisoner, who is behind bars for life, had high praise for the actor who plays him when the two met face to face during a prison visit last week brokered by Kim Kardashian.
Cooper Koch, the emerging star of the successful series, told it The Hollywood journalist that when he arrived at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility on a visit to discuss prison reform and the Menendez brothers' massive mural project at the San Diego County compound, he and the man he plays – with newfound sympathy in a lauded performance – timed each other almost immediately.
“We walked in the [prison’s] gym, and the first person I saw was Erik. And we looked into each other's eyes, and he smiled and I smiled, and we hugged. And it was really, really powerful and emotional. It was an amazing experience,” Koch said, later referring to Erik and Lyle Menendez, both of whom were at the event. “And he … both of them were so nice and so normal.”
The trip was a whirlwind last-minute affair for Koch, who received an impromptu FaceTime call from Kardashian a few days before the trip as the series premiered on Netflix. The reality star has been advocating for incarcerated people since 2018, when a Mic.com video of then-inmate Alice Johnson went viral and inspired the reality megastar to defend and ultimately help free her grandmother from the life sentence she was given handed over for drugs. deals with. Kardashian invited Koch, along with her and others, on a planned trip to the RJ Donovan Prison to meet with the Menendez brothers, who have been working on a 1,000-foot-long mural scaling the concrete walls of a section of the prison, which is nicknamed Echo Yard.
Koch said THR that he and Erik Menendez were able to spend some time talking against each other. At one point during their one-on-one chat, the man he has worked for over a year to redefine as a sympathetic victim of sexual, physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his parents praised him for his work, even though he hasn't seen the series yet
“One of the first things Erik said was, 'I know you're doing great. You did a great job in episode five [“The Hurt Man”] and I'll watch it. It's just, you know, it's hard,'” Koch recalled his words about the bottle episode midway through the series, in which Koch's Erik details his father's alleged sexual and emotional abuse. “And I told him about it, which was crazy to me.”
Koch said the two then talked about the backlash the show has received for some creative decisions made in its script that some see as a deeply problematic revision of the story. The weekend after Monsters debuted on Netflix, Erik Menendez released a statement calling the portrayal of him and his brother “naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do so without ill intent.”
Days later, Murphy responded, defending the series and the multiple perspectives and theories presented on the brothers' case, including insinuations of incest between the two that are included and intended to represent journalist Dominick Dunne's tip about their relationship. This week, the war of words continued when two dozen members of the Menendez brothers' extended family released another statement calling the series a “character assassination” and claiming that its “lies” victimized the entire Menendez family . Murphy then doubled down, saying his show is the best thing to happen to the brothers “in 30 years,” as their case is now a hot topic.
“I talked to him about his statement,” Koch said THR. “And, you know, I just told him I understand where he's coming from. I feel sorry for him. I can't imagine what it must be like to see the worst parts of your life portrayed on television in this fictionalized and dramatized way, you know, and so I just told him I'm on his side. I understand how it must feel and that it's really hard.
The Menendez brothers have exhausted all appeals over the years and have decided to spend their lives in prison without the possibility of parole. But recently, their father was accused of sexual abuse by a former member of the 1980s boy band Menudo, and author Robert Rand came across hard evidence showing that José Menendez was probably abusing his children . Now, through a habeas corpus petition, the Menendez brothers could receive a new sentence for their 1989 crime, which could potentially be reduced to time served and free them after 30 years.
Koch said he very much hopes this becomes a reality for the brothers.
“They did an amazing job in prison,” he says. “Erik teaches meditation. He gives speech lessons. They are both incredible people. I think back then people just didn't believe that sexual abuse between males was something you could believe in and the easiest pill to swallow was that they killed their parents for money. But now, after so long, I think people are more open to understanding that something like this happened.”
Koch added that the brothers even found an advocate in an unexpected person after their years as model inmates at R,J. Donovan Correctional Center.
“In fact, the director himself told me that he feels blessed to have them as neighbors and that he would feel comfortable letting them take care of his children,” Koch said THR. “I think that says a lot!”
Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez is now streaming on Netflix.