At this point, half the fun of a new season of a Ryan Murphy series is betting on which flashy but illogical celebrity casting will dominate whichever horrifying world he’s stylizing next. The second season of the anthology series Monsters, which highlights The Lyle and Erik Menedez Story, has already caused quite a stir. Lyle and Erik Menendez were famously convicted in 1996 on two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder their parents Jose and Mary Louise Menendez. The Menendez brothers are still serving life sentences in two separate California prisons today. But that doesn’t mean they haven’t heard about Netflix’s interpretation of their alleged crimes, and, not so surprisingly the Menendez family has some strong opinions. I also have some strong opinions about who has been hired to take on the heavy task of bringing the sensitive story to light. Here’s a breakdown with pictures of the Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story cast.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story Cast
Javier Bardem: José Menendez
When it comes to diving into character, Javier Bardem is a professional athlete. The four-time Oscar-winning actor has played everything from a James Bond villain to someone hot enough to land both Scarlett Johannson and Penelope Cruz at the same damn time. In Monsters, he plays patriarch José Menendez, who his sons accused of emotional and sexual abuse during their murder trial.
Chloë Sevingy: Mary Louise Kitty Menendez
Chloë Sevigny is a national New York treasure who you will probably recognize from a bunch of other Ryan Murphy horror shows or Charli XCX’s “360” music video depending on your freak. In the show, her fictional version of Kitty Menendez is a co-conspirator in Bardem’s portrayal of Menendez.
Nicholas Alexander Chavez: Lyle Menendez
Nicholas has put in the hours on hundreds of episodes of General Hospital, which if you ask my mom in 2002 is a very big deal. He takes on the big task of representing the elder Menendez brothers’ POV.
Cooper Koch: Erik Menendez
Outside of a few smaller roles, playing Erik Menendez is Cooper’s big break. His visual transformation into the younger Menendez brother is scary accurate.
Ari Graynor: Leslie Abramson
When Ari (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, For A Good Time Call) tapped into the role of the brother’s outspoken lawyer rent must have been due. She’s previously
Dallas Roberts: Dr. Jerome Oziel
Dallas Roberts has starred in every movie your dad picked for Friday movie night (3:10 To Yuma, The Grey, Walk The Line). Dr. Oziel was the one who first heard Erik’s confession about the murders in real life.
Nathan Lane: Dominick Dunne
Will I ever be able to hear Nathan Lane’s voice and not think of Timone from Lion King? Nope, not possible. But he taps into saucy journalist vibes as the thirsty reporter from Variety who covered the trial in the 90s.
Charlie Hall: Craig Cignarelli
In real life, Craig was known to be Erik’s bougie best friend during the time the murders went down. In the Netflix series, he’s played by Charlie Hall from all your fave teen dramas like Bel-Air (Tyler), Single Drunk Female (Joel), and The Sex Lives of College Girls (Andrew).
Leslie Grossman: Judalon Smyth
I’m not saying with need another reboot, but I’d watch Leslie Grossman as Lauren in What I Like About You for a million more episodes. For now, I’ll just have to enjoy her getting her prestige actress on as one of Dr. Oziel’s patients who found out about the murder confession.
Jason Butler Harner: Les Zoeller
What is a true crime series without its no-nonsense lead detective? This is far from JBH’s first time playing law enforcement, most recently gracing us with his presence as the main FBI agent in Ozark.
What have the Menendez brothers said about the show?
Tammie Menendez, the present-day wife of Erik Menendez, shared a statement on behalf of her husband in which he called Netflix’s interpretation “a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies” that he can “only believe they were done so on purpose.” They call Netflix “dishonest” and Ryah Murphy’s vision “inaccurately” crafted with “bad intent.” Ultimately, the Menendez family is concerned this show validates the original prosecution’s “narrative on a belief system that males were not sexually abused, and that males experienced rape trauma differently than women,” as they still fight towards their freedom.
