Another year, another buzzy Ryan Murphy series. Following the commercial success of 2022’s Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which became Netflix’s second most-watched English-language show in under a month upon release, the Hollywood megaproducer is back with another installment in his Monster anthology series, which follows different killers with each iteration. But in addition to courting controversy, as Dahmer did, Murphy’s recent shows also have a record of creating breakout stars — and that’s certainly shaping up to be the case with out gay actor Cooper Koch.
As the title Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menéndez Story would suggest, the newest chapter in Murphy’s anthology series centers on the titular Menéndez brothers (played by Nicholas Alexander and Koch respectively), who made headlines in 1996 when they were convicted of murder in the 1989 deaths of their parents José (Javier Bardem) and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menéndez (Chloë Sevigny).
Since its September 19 premiere, Monsters has faced its own fair share of attention and controversy for its depiction of a real-life crime. Erik Menéndez has released a statement via his wife’s X account slamming Monsters for including what he described as “vile and appalling character portrayals of Lyle and me and disheartening slander.” TMZ recently reported that Kim Kardashian and Koch visited the two brothers and their fellow inmates in prison on Saturday to discuss prison reform shortly after that statement was made public.
But who is Cooper Koch, and what’s he doing in Monsters? The actor has been a relative unknown up until his casting in the Netflix show, but his performance is already generating lots of discussion. We’ve rounded up everything you need to know about Koch below.
Who is Cooper Koch?
Cooper Koch is a 28-year-old actor and model. Prior to appearing in Monsters, he was best-known for appearing in the 2022 queer slasher film They/Them, as well as the 2022 queer horror thriller Swallowed. Although Monsters might be your introduction to him, his family are no strangers to Hollywood: His father is a visual effects artist and his brother is an Emmy-nominated editor.
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Koch has been open about being a gay man throughout his career, telling the San Francisco Bay Times in 2022 that acting school played a big role in helping him accept himself and his identity.
“When I was in high school and my first year of college, I really didn’t want to be who I was,” he said. “And it took being in acting school to realize that if I want to play other people, I need to be able to be myself.”
Unfortunately, that obviously doesn’t mean that the film and television industries have reckoned with homophobia at large. During a 2023 interview with Edge Media, Koch shared that an unnamed acting teacher once told him that he wasn’t booking new roles because “you have a gay voice.”
“I have a thick skin and at this point in my life, I’ve been through bullying when I was a kid, I’ve been fired from a pilot because of it,” he added. “But I also don’t tolerate it anymore… If you’re gonna have that kind of opinion, or you’re not gonna want to work with me because my voice sounds a certain way or because I walk or talk or move my hands in a certain way, then I don’t want to work with you either, babe.”
Who does Cooper Koch play on Monsters?
Koch plays Erik Menendéz, the younger of the titular brothers. The series tells the story of Erik and his younger brother Lyle’s, from their childhood to their 1989 murder of their parents to their 1996 trial, in which the brothers alleged that the crimes were incited by their father’s record of alleged sexual abuse toward them. Erik and Lyle were ultimately sentenced to life in prison without parole.
During an interview with The Wrap, Koch shared that he did extensive preparation to get into his character’s headspace.
“I turned my trailer into Erik’s room so I had clothes everywhere, and I had pictures of him on the wall, pictures of me, too,” the actor said. “[...] I listened to [Erik] and watched him religiously. And I had my music, I had all different kinds of journals, all different kinds of things to help me really feel like him and be him.”
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