A prison visit of the star of the series “Monsters” Cooper Koch with Eric Menendez

Convicted murderer Erik Menendez could face harsh condemnation Ryan Murphy’s controversial Netflix series, Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez, on his and brother Lyle Menendez’s multi-faceted portrayal of their parents’ murder in 1989 and the criminal trials that followed. But the California inmate, who remains behind bars for the rest of his life, had high praise for the actor who plays him during a face-to-face meeting during a prison visit brokered by Kim Kardashian last week.

– said Cooper Koch, the breakout star of the popular series Hollywood reporter that when he came to the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility for a visit to discuss prison reform and the design of the Menendez brothers’ massive mural at the San Diego County complex, he and the man he portrays – with a newfound sympathy in a lauded performance – reached for each other almost immediately.

“We walked into the (prison) gym and the first person I saw was Erik. And we looked into each other’s eyes, he smiled and I smiled, and we hugged. And it was really powerful and emotional. It was an amazing experience,” Koch said, then referring to Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were present at the event. “And he… they were both so nice and so normal.”

The last-minute trip was a whirlwind event for Koch, who received an unexpected phone call from Kardashian on FaceTime just 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 TV megastar to support her grandmother from a life sentence on drug charges and ultimately help her recover. release. human trafficking. Kardashian invited Koch along with her and others on a planned trip to the RJ Donovan Correctional Facility to meet with the Menendez brothers, who were working on the more than 300-foot mural climbing the concrete walls of a part of the prison that is called Echo Yard.

Koch said THR that he and Erik Menendez were able to spend some time alone talking to each other. At one point during a face-to-face conversation, the man he had spent more than a year trying to redefine as a compassionate survivor of parental sexual, physical and emotional abuse praised him for his work — even though you haven’t seen the show yet.

“One of the first things Erik said was, ‘I know you’re doing great. You did great in episode five (“The Hurt Man”) and I’m going to watch it. It’s just, you know, it’s hard,” Koch recalled saying about the mid-series bottle episode, in which Erik Koch details his father’s alleged sexual and emotional abuse. “And I talked to him about it, which was crazy to me.”

Koch said they then talked about the backlash the show has received for some creative decisions made in the script that some consider a deeply problematic revision of history. Weekend after Monsters debuted on Netflix, Erik Menendez released a statement calling the portrayal of him and his brother “naive and untrue to the facts of our lives, to be done without malicious intent.”

Days later, Murphy responded sharply, defending the series and the many perspectives and theories presented about the brothers, including its insinuations of incest, which are intended to mirror reporter Dominick Dunne’s suggestion about their relationship. The war of words continued this week when two dozen members of the Menendez brothers’ extended family released another statement condemning the series as “character assassination” and arguing that its “untruths” have victimized the entire Menendez family. Murphy then doubled down, saying his show was the best thing to happen to the brothers “in 30 years” because their case is a hot topic right now.

“I talked to him about his testimony,” Koch said THR. “And you know, I just told him I understood where he was coming from. I feel for him. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have the worst parts of life portrayed on TV in this fictionalized, dramatized way, you know, so I just told him I was with him. I understand how it must feel and that it is really difficult.

The Menendez brothers had exhausted all appeals over the years and decided to spend their lives in prison without the possibility of parole. However, their father was recently accused of sexual abuse by a former member of the 1980s boy band Menudo, and author Robert Rand came across compelling evidence that José Menendez likely molested his sons. Now, thanks to a habeas corpus petition, the Menendez brothers could receive a new sentence for the 1989 crime, which could potentially be reduced to a sentence that could free them after 30 years.

Koch expressed great hope that this would become a reality for the brothers.

“They did a lot of amazing work in prison,” he says. “Erik teaches meditation. He teaches speech classes. They are both amazing people. I think back then people just didn’t believe that male sexual abuse was something to believe in, and the easier pill to swallow was that they were killing their parents for money. But now, after all this time, I think people are more open to understanding that something like this happened.”

Koch added that after years spent as model inmates at the R,J facility, the brothers even found an advocate in an unlikely person. Donovan Correctional Facility.

“The warden actually told me himself that he would be happy to have them as neighbors and would feel comfortable if they let them take care of their children,” Koch said THR. “I think that says a lot!”

Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez is now streaming on Netflix.