Before “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” even started shooting, Cooper Koch already had the script for “The Hurt Man” memorized. That’s how vital the Netflix star knew Episode 5 was to Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s drama.
“I read it every day leading up to [filming]. I had this groove for a long time, I read it before I went to bed,” Koch, who plays Erik Menendez, told TheWrap of Episode 5 of the show. “I really tried to get all of those memories to be so real and specific for me, so that when I recounted them, they would evoke an emotional response.”
Unlike the rest of Season 2’s hourlong episodes, “The Hurt Man” clocks in at only 34 minutes. Over the course of one continuous shot, Koch’s Erik details to his attorney Leslie Abrahamson (Ari Graynor) all of the mental, physical and sexual abuse he experienced at the hands of the parents he and his brother killed. The camera never cuts to Graynor’s face and instead stays continuously trained on Koch, subtly pushing in as the episode progresses.
According to Graynor, the episode was written by Ian Brennan almost a year before shooting began. That initial script never changed. “It was truly one of the most extraordinary scripts I’ve ever read,” Graynor said.
“I first read it and thought it was extraordinary. Then I put it down for several months because I wasn’t even sure how to get into it yet, both the subject matter and also really knowing who Leslie was,” Graynor told TheWrap.
To prepare for the episode, the two read the scene together on Graynor’s porch, “just for lines, no acting,” Graynor said. But when it came time for rehearsals, they only performed the episode once in earnest in front of the series’ writers and directors.
“We were all quiet and crying after. The director [Michael Uppendahl] said, ‘I don’t want to rehearse it. I don’t want to talk about it. You guys got it, and then let’s go shoot it,’” Graynor said.
The episode was officially filmed over two days with four takes per day. The very last take of “The Hurt Man” was what made it to screen.
“Cooper and I developed what is an incredibly meaningful, special relationship,” Graynor said. “We really felt like this isn’t about us. This is about something bigger, and we were so locked in and in tune that we got through it every time.”
Koch cited working on the scene as a huge part of his preparation for the show. “Being able to get so deep and so specific in the details really is the backbone of the entire performance and the entire character,” Koch said. “So finally getting to say those words and tell the story was so profound for me. It was so deep, and I’m so so grateful for the experience.”
The actor also praised his scene partner, calling Graynor “incredible” and noting that he “can’t speak highly enough about her.” As much as the episode is Koch’s moment to shine, it couldn’t exist without Graynor’s Leslie, who holds space for her client to share his abuse and tells him that he doesn’t deserve what he’s suffered.
“It makes me happy, because once you put that out in the world — to have a model of Leslie listening and holding that space, and that episode was written with just extraordinary brilliance and sensitivity that gave me a roadmap — but to be able to say that to him and to potentially have anyone hear something who’s never shared their story to hear ‘You did not deserve that’ and ‘That is not what a parent is’ is really important,” Graynor said.
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