What did Erik Menendez tell Cooper Koch about Monsters days before the premiere?

Erik Menendez called actor Cooper Koch One day before the launch of Ryan Murphy's Monsters Series, a dramatized account of his life and that of his brother. Lyle Menendez murder case.

“We had a very nice conversation,” Koch, 28, revealed on Thursday, September 26, during a Today Show appearance with co-stars Nicolas Chavez and Javier Bardem“Basically, I had to tell him that I believed him and that I did everything I could as an actor to portray him as accurately and authentically as possible.”

Koch and Erik, 53, also bonded over their similarities. “We talked about other things, like I went to Calabasas High School, which is where he went when he first moved to California,” the actor noted. “My dad graduated from Beverly Hills High School the year before Erik got there. We have all these weird parallels.”

She continued: “We looked at each other and hugged each other right away. It was so nice. Lyle too, I got to hug them both and be in their presence. They are very upstanding people. They have done a lot of work in their prison. Erik teaches meditation and public speaking classes, and they are doing this Greenspace project to improve the prison grounds. It was just amazing.”

Koch, who played Erik, was asked about the controversy surrounding Monsters after Erik posted a statement criticizing the Netflix series, a day after its release.

“I thought we were past the lies and shoddy portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle based on the horrible and blatant tastes that abound on the show,” read a statement from Erik that was shared on Lyle’s Facebook page. “I can only believe that they did this on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I say that I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be so naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives as to do this without malicious intent.”

Koch said: “I understand how he feels and I understand that it is very difficult to have your life, and not just your life, but the worst part of your life, televised in a Hollywood dramatized version. I understand how difficult that would be and I agree with him. I understand that it must be really difficult.”

Season 2 of Monsterswhich premiered on September 19, chronicles the lives of Lyle (Chavez) and Erik (Koch), who were convicted of murdering their parents in 1989. The show presented different perspectives on what led the brothers to kill their parents, José (Bardem) and Kitty (Chloë Sevigny), including their claims that it was in self-defense after years of alleged physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

In his reaction, Erik specifically pointed out the show’s inaccuracies, saying, “It’s sad for me to know that Netflix’s dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime has pushed painful truths back several steps in time to a time when the prosecution built a narrative on a belief system that men were not sexually abused and that men experienced the trauma of rape differently than women.”

She continued: “These horrific lies have been debunked and exposed by countless brave victims over the past two decades who have overcome their personal shame and spoken out bravely. So now Murphy shapes his horrific narrative through vile and appalling portrayals of Lyle’s and my characters and disheartening slander. Isn’t the truth enough?”

Murphy, 58, and several cast members acknowledged Erik's dissatisfaction with their portrayal of the high-profile case.

“There were four people involved [in the case]“Murphy told Entertainment Tonight on Monday, September 23. “Two of them are dead. What about the parents? We had an obligation as storytellers to try to put their perspective into perspective as well based on our research, which we did.”

Koch, for his part, publicly addressed concerns, including negative reaction to the on-screen insinuation that Erik and Lyle had a sexual relationship.Variety It was reported a day after Monsters was released that Koch joined Kim Kardashian at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility on Saturday, Sept. 21, to give a talk on prison reform to inmates, including Lyle, 56, and Erik.)

“I knew this was a very controversial story and that people were going to be upset and affected by what they were seeing. However, I think you have to put it in the context of the situation and that we are painting a picture based on someone else’s perspective,” Koch said. Variety Wednesday, Sept. 25. “It’s not necessarily the truth of what happened. That’s just what Dominick Dunne thinks and I think there are other places in the story where it’s brought up to give people all these different perspectives and, you know.”

Koch clarified that he “does not believe at all” in the fictional speculation about incest.

“I think the point of the show is to bring all those perspectives together and let the audience be the jury. And at the end of the show, you just make your decision on what you believe. And I think that’s a really interesting way to tell the story and to tell stories in general,” she continued. “I don’t think that’s true. And I don’t think the show ever intended to make or break that truth. I think it was just a theory that one person had and it was put on the show because that person was a character on the show… I agree with Erik and I think everything he says in his testimony is his truth, and I believe him.”

According to Koch, Erik's response “definitely affected him.”

“[t made me feel things. I sympathize with him, I empathize with him. I get it. I understand how difficult it would be to have the worst part of your life be televised for millions of people to see. It’s so exposing,” the actor concluded. “I understand how he feels and I stand by him. In terms of approaching him and approaching the part, I just really wanted to do as much research and dig really deep into myself to really portray him with integrity and just be as authentic as possible to support him and also to support his family and all the people who stand with him.”

Monsters is currently streaming on Netflix.