Cooper Koch (left) and Nicholas Alexander Chavez in ‘Monsters: The Menéndez Brothers Story’ on Netflix.Photo:
Netflix
The actor, who portrays Erik in ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story’, tells PEOPLE he “was so nervous” before meeting the brothers with Kim Kardashian
Days after the premiere of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story, in which he portrays Erik Menéndez, Cooper Koch paid the brothers a visit in prison alongside Kimand Khloé Kardashian and their mom, Kris Jenner.
“I was so nervous before I got there,” Koch, 28, tells PEOPLE. “I had spoken to both of them, so I knew we already kind of had a camaraderie, and they knew where I stood. I told them I supported them and I believed them. I had a feeling they were going to welcome me with open arms, but still so nerve-racking to meet someone who you’ve been listening to and are inspired by.”
When the moment came at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, “there was an immediate connection,” Koch says. “I got to hug both of them, and I sat next to Erik in this circle with all the other incarcerated individuals who were telling their stories, and they were both so kind. They’re amazing people.”
Koch portrays Erik opposite Nicholas Alexander Chavez’s Lyle in the Netflix series about the brothers’ murder of their parents José and Kitty. Erik, now 53, stated via his wife Tammi Menendez that he believes the show to be “disheartening slander” featuring “vile and appalling character portrayals of Lyle and me.”
‘Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menéndez Story’ stars (from left) Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Lyle, Chloë Sevigny as Kitty, Javier Bardem as José and Cooper Koch as Erik.
Courtesy Of Netflix
“I get it,” Koch says of the criticism. “I understand that he would feel that way. This is really tough stuff. This is his life, and his life has a lot of trauma. It’s a tragedy. And he’s still in prison, so I understand how difficult it would be. I stand with him.”
Erik and Lyle’s relatives also released a statement about their thoughts on Monsters, calling it “repulsive,” “grotesque” and an “episodic nightmare” that “ignores the most recent exculpatory revelations.”
“It’s hard,” Koch says of hearing the Menéndez family’s take. “We did a lot of work, and I just hope they know that I sympathize so much. I understand how difficult this must be for them. This is their family and their lives, and I know they want to bring them home.”
‘Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menéndez Story’ stars (from left) Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Ari Graynor and Cooper Koch.
Netflix
Koch thinks Erik and Lyle “got screwed by the social justice system” after being sentenced to life in prison when the jury in their October 1995 trial — their second trial after the first was deemed a mistrial — decided to disregard the brothers’ claims that their father sexually abused them throughout their childhood.
“The second trial, they weren’t allowed to talk about the sexual abuse. They had one jury, instead of two. There were no cameras. And the DA who was going to be reelected needed to have a conviction because OJ got off, all the cops from the Rodney King trial got off, so they needed to have someone,” Koch says. “I think they were just caught in the perfect storm.”
He also understands why the brothers tried to hide the crime before Erik came clean to his therapist Dr. Jerome Oziel, whose mistress eventually told the authorities about the confession. “They didn’t tell Dr. Oziel because they didn’t want to kill their parents twice by telling people what was happening,” Koch says.
The actor notes that the discussion around sexual abuse in the ‘90s also played a factor in the verdict.
“People couldn’t believe that something like that could happen at the time, that a father would sexually abuse his children,” Koch says. “This does not discredit the conduct that was taken. I do not think that they should have killed their parents. I think that was a horrible, horrible thing that they did, and they definitely should have served time for that. But they have, and I think the time’s up.”
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story is streaming now on Netflix.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
