Monsters: Lyle and Erik Menendez: How the cast compares to their real-life counterparts
Lyle and Erik Menéndez were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 after being convicted of first-degree murder
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28 years after Lyle and Erik Menéndez were sentenced to life in prison for murdering their parents, Kitty and José, Netflix is revisiting their case with the new drama Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.
From the mind of Ryan Murphy, the new Netflix series will take viewers through the notorious American murders with a star-studded cast including Chloe Sevigny, Javier Bardem, Ari Graynor, Dallas Roberts, and Nathan Lane. Lyle will be played by Hollywood newcomer Nicolas Alexander Chavez, while Cooper Koch will take on the role of Erik.
Sevigny and Bardem play the role of Kitty and José, respectively.
The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is the second instalment in Murphy’s controversial Monsters saga. In 2022, he revisited the exploits of the “Milwaukee Cannibal” in Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. The series was a tremendous hit, reaching 1 billion hours of views in its first 60 days and prompting widespread debate about the glamorisation of murderers.
In the new drama, Murphy will widen the scope of the case to include the harrowing sexual abuse Lyle and Erik alleged to have been perpetrated by their father.
Lyle and Erik were arrested for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder outside their home in March of 1990. They were then sentenced to life in prison in 1996. In 2024, new evidence has the potential to set them free.
With the release of the fresh true crime rendition, here is a run-through of all the cast members and how they compare to their real-life counterparts.
Nicolas Alexander Chavez as Lyle Menéndez
Chavez, 25, will be assuming the role of Lyle, the older Menéndez brother and a former Princeton University student. Lyle was suspended from Princeton for an entire year after he was accused of plagiarizing. After his parents’ murders, he spent $300,000 on a down payment for a chicken wing restaurant called Chuck’s Spring Street Cafe.
Viewers may recognize Chavez from General Hospital and Crushed.
Cooper Koch as Erik Menéndez
The younger Menéndez brother will be played by Koch, the 28-year-old star from Less Than Zero, They/Them, Swallowed, and A New York Christmas Wedding. Erik Menéndez was bound for the University of California Los Angeles before he was arrested for the murder of his parents.
However, before his parents’ death, his father had told him he wasn’t allowed to move in to the dorms. José wanted him to continue living at home and commute to school from Beverly Hills.
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Chloe Sevigny as Kitty Menéndez
Sevigny, the 49-year-old actress and model celebrated for her roles in American Psycho and The Act, will play Kitty Menéndez in the Netflix adaptation. Kitty, born Mary Louise Andersen, grew up in Wateseka, Illinois. During the Menéndez trial, Lyle testified that his mother had known about the abuse from his father and that she would also “beat and kick” him. According to crime investigator Rachel Pergament, Kitty’s father Charles abused her and her mother Mae Andersen.
Javier Bardem as José Menéndez
Bardem, who is often known for playing characters with an unhinged verve, will be assuming the role of José Menéndez. The 55-year-old actor has starred in projects including No Country for Old Men, Skyfall, Eat, Pray, Love the new Dune franchise.
José, the patriarch of the Menéndez family, had fled from Cuba to a town in Pennsylvannia when he was a teenager. He attended Southern Illinois University where he met Kitty and lived in New York before eventually settling in Beverly Hills as an entertainment executive. In 1996, Erik said he thought his father was a part of the Mafia.
Ari Graynor as Leslie Abramson
Graynor, the star of Bad Teacher and The Sopranos, will play Leslie Abramson, Erik’s defense attorney in both trials. At the time, Abramson was a respected defense attorney in California with a proven track record of persuading juries against the death row penalty. Abramson remained close to Erik and Lyle even after the six-year turn of their two trials,
Dallas Roberts as Jerome Oziel
Roberts, celebrated for his roles in Glass Onion (2022) and The Walking Dead, will be transformed into Dr Jerome Oziel. Oziel was Erik’s psychiatrist. In 1989, Erik confessed to killing his parents during a recorded session with Oziel. The therapist later turned in the tapes as evidence, leading to the brothers’ arrest.
Leslie Grossman as Judalon Smyth
American Horror Story regular Grossman is taking on the role of Judalon Smyth, Oziel’s mistress. Smyth was listening behind Oziel’s door when Erik confessed to killing his parents. She was Oziel’s former client who became his secret lover. After the two split up, Smyth told the police Oziel had evidence that proved the two brothers were murderers.
Jason Butler Harner as Les Zoeller
Harner, the 53-year-old actor of Ozark and Edge of Everything, will play Beverly Hills detective Les Zoeller. In addition to the Menéndez case, Zoeller worked on the Billionaire Boys Club Ponzi scheme. He passed away in 2021 after working in the BHPD for 30 years.
Nathan Lane as Dominick Dunne
Lane, 68, will assume the role of Dominick Dunne, a writer and producer who wrote about the Menéndez trial. Lane is known for his roles in The Gilded Age, Only Murders in the Building, The Good Wife, Modern Family, and The Lion King.
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