Latest news with #Monsters:TheLyle
Elle
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Elle
Nicholas Alexander Chavez Talks 'Monsters' and 'I Know What You Did Last Summer'
Justin French Jacket, shirt, tie, pants, belt, Gucci. Five years ago, the pandemic was in its early stages, and with acting jobs drying up in Los Angeles, Nicholas Alexander Chavez found himself selling cars and doing door-to-door insurance sales in Florida. Four years later, he looked out onto Los Angeles's Sunset Boulevard to see three enormous billboards for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story , the Ryan Murphy and Netflix series he was starring in. Before the turn of events that led to his role as Lyle, the now 25-year-old Chavez says he had been grappling with the idea that his life was not how he thought it would be. Something, he acknowledges, a lot of people experienced during COVID. He had acted in school drama productions like To Kill a Mockingbird , and the positive response had pushed him to consider it as a career. That, coupled with a love of Shakespeare, led him to Rutgers University, where he studied drama for two years, before moving to L.A. to pursue acting full time. Justin French Coat, track jacket, track pants, loafers, Ferragamo. Socks, Falke. Soon after, the pandemic struck, and he moved to Florida. Although he was grateful to have a paycheck, something told him that acting wasn't quite out of the picture just yet. 'I knew that deep down I was an artist, and I was trying to figure out how that could be let out,' he says over a Zoom call, reminiscent of the pandemic past. 'I knew that deep down I was an artist, and I was trying to figure out how that could be let out.' Chavez credits a 'mindset shift,' brought on by advice he received from someone close to him that turned things around. 'I realized that whatever you're doing, you should just give it 100 percent, because you're there anyway,' he says. He started showing up to work with the idea that he wanted to 'be the best at selling cars today' so he could 'be the best actor tomorrow.' Before long, he had auditioned for and booked General Hospital , the long-running soap opera for which he won a Daytime Emmy, and the roles have kept coming ever since. Justin French Jacket, shirt, tie, pants, belt, Gucci. The two and a half years he spent on General Hospital proved pivotal to his future success. The grueling schedule, something he likens to 'exposure therapy,' instilled in him the work ethic needed in a demanding industry. He remembers at one point having to learn '80 pages of dialogue in a single day.' But those lessons would help him hold his own when he played alongside Chloë Sevigny and Javier Bardem in Monsters , and later when he starred opposite Niecy Nash in another Murphy production, the horror/drama Grotesquerie . He calls Murphy 'one of the most prolific television creators alive today'—and when asked if he'd be open if the producer were to come calling a third time, his answer is 'of course.' But he's also intrigued by 'the dark comedy space' and would like to star in a historical drama, saying there are 'so many interesting people who I'm personally fascinated with, and I'd love to tell their stories at some point in my career.' Justin French Coat, track jacket, track pants, loafers, Ferragamo. Socks, Falke. Right now, Chavez is gearing up for the July release of I Know What You Did Last Summer , the latest sequel to the 1997 iconic horror film of the same name. The production, which he promises packs a lot of 'shock factor,' features a large ensemble (including fellow ELLE Hollywood Rising member, Sarah Pidgeon) and sees the return of two of the franchise's original stars, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt. Justin French Jacket, shirt, tie, pants, belt, Gucci. For someone who feels happiest when he's working, becoming an actor wasn't something Chavez always saw for himself. As a child, he loved to pretend to be a priest. He would perform for his family, complete with bread and cranberry juice. And while he didn't necessarily take inspiration from his youth when he played Father Charlie Mayhew in Grotesquerie , he did say, 'Little me would be so proud if only he knew.' Reflecting on his time in Florida selling cars, he has no regrets: 'The universe just takes you on the journey that you need to go on,' he says. 'It was a weird journey that I didn't expect, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.' Hair by Sami Knight for Rehab; makeup by Alexandra French at Forward Artists; manicure by Jolene Brodeur at The Wall Group; produced by Anthony Federici at Petty Cash Production; photographed at Malibu Creek Ranch. A version of this story appears in the Summer 2025 issue of ELLE Related Stories
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Menendez Brothers Have Murder Sentence Reduced & Are Now Eligible For Parole
Erik and Lyle Menendez, who have served roughly 35 years of a life-without-parole prison sentence for the 1989 shotgun slayings of their parents in Beverly Hills, were re-sentenced today to 50 years to life, immediately making them eligible for parole. The decision by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic does not automatically mean the pair will be released from prison. They will have to appear before a parole board, which will recommend whether they should be available for parole. The recommendation would then go to Gov. Gavin Newsom,who could reject their release. More from Deadline Menendez Brothers' Attorney Seeks Lesser Voluntary Manslaughter Sentence As Hearing Begins Menendez Brothers Suddenly Withdraw Move To Toss L.A. DA Off Case; Resentencing Hearings Set For Next Week Menendez Brothers Resentencing: L.A. DA & Family's Lawyer Butt Heads Over Recusal Move & Media Hits A Week Ahead Of Pivotal Hearing Earlier today, relatives of the Menendez brothers testified on why they believed they should be released from prison, with their attorney Mark Geragos fighting for a reduced sentence of voluntary manslaughter. 'What we are pushing for, under the statute, is a recall of the sentence, a resentence that is meaningful modification,' he said. The Menendez brothers' case resurfaced following the release of the Netflix series created by Ryan Murphy, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Kim Kardashian, who has a working relationship with Murphy, was one of several high-profile personalities who made a call to have their life sentences reduced. After spending time with the brothers, the reality TV personality and criminal justice advocate penned an essay for NBC News where she made the case for them. 'We are all products of our experiences. They shape who we were, who we are, and who we will be. Physiologically and psychologically, time changes us, and I doubt anyone would claim to be the same person they were at 18. I know I'm not!' Kardashian writes in a personal essay. She continued, 'You think you know the story of Lyle and Erik Menendez. I certainly thought I did: In 1989, the brothers, aged 21 and 18, respectively, viciously shot and killed their parents in their Beverly Hills home. In 1996, after two trials, they were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. As is often the case, this story is much more complex than it appears on the surface. Both brothers said they had been sexually, physically and emotionally abused for years by their parents.' Kardashian noted that after the first trial was televised, the Menendez brothers were 'ridiculed in skits on Saturday Night Live' and 'the media turned the brothers into monsters and sensationalized eye candy,' which made them have 'no chance of a fair trial.' CNS contributed to this report. Best of Deadline Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far TV Show Book Adaptations Arriving In 2025 So Far Book-To-Movie Adaptations Coming Out In 2025
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cooper Koch turns up the heat with an eye-popping 'White Lotus' parody with his twin brother
It's one thing to go viral for your talent. It's another to go viral for fake-kissing your gay twin brother in an apparent homage to the incestuous threesome plot line from The White Lotus. But hey, if anyone can pull it off and still walk away sexy, unscathed, and unbothered—it's Cooper and Payton Koch. In a now-disappeared Instagram story posted by their younger brother Walker, the Koch twins posed under a map of Thailand—the season 3 setting for The White Lotus — with Cooper leaning in toward Payton teasing quite the brotherly love moment. By tagging @thewhitelotus, they sent the message loud and clear that this was a parody of the season's most WTF moment: when the fictional Ratliff brothers (played by Patrick Schwarzenegger and Sam Nivola) shared a drug-fueled threesome. When that happened, the internet collectively freaked with users saying things like the "incest thing" happened to "show us how a homophobic Republican is made." The week before, when the on-screen brothers first kissed, the internet also went crazy, with users saying things like, "I thought everyone knew up front that this show is a satire with dark comedy mocking rich white people." What makes this parody all the juicier is that Cooper Koch isn't just some random actor capitalizing on the moment—he starred in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, a series that raised eyebrows for also hinting at incestuous undertones between the infamous real-life brothers, though that is all speculation. See on Instagram Adding to the intrigue? Both Koch twins are out and proud, extremely attractive, and come from a Hollywood lineage (their grandfather, Hawk, is a former Academy president). Cooper's carving a name for himself as a rising actor, while Payton is racking up Emmy nominations as a sought-after editor. Basically, they're hot, talented, and fully in on the joke. In a world where sibling dynamics on TV are getting more homoerotic by the minute, the Koch twins' wink to the camera feels more like a smart commentary than shock bait. And we love to see it. PRIDE reached out to Walker for further comment, but has yet to receive a response.
The Guardian
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Nathan Lane says ‘homophobia is alive and well' in Hollywood
The Producers star Nathan Lane says that 'homophobia is alive and well' in Hollywood and that being an out gay actor cost him roles. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Lane said that his breakthrough film role in the 1996 comedy The Birdcage, in which he played a flamboyant drag queen in a long-term relationship with Robin Williams' club-owner, failed to lead to a significant movie acting career, reporting that his then agent told him: 'Maybe if you weren't so open about your lifestyle, it would have.' Lane added: 'I don't know what goes on behind closed doors, but I can't help but think that [homophobia] played a part.' As an example, Lane said he was up for a role in the part-animated basketball comedy Space Jam (also released in 1996) and said he was told 'the director [Joe Pytka] saw me hosting the Tony awards and thought that suggested I was too gay to play the part'. In the end, Wayne Knight (who played Newman in Seinfeld) was cast in the film. 'But I don't know. I'll never know what people say. Homophobia is alive and well still.' Lane added that his early career success in theatre may have reinforced homophobic attitudes towards him. 'There's always … that 'He's from the theatre' thing. It's either homophobia or it's just, 'He gives big performances because he comes from the theatre.' If they give me a chance, I seem to do well – but you have to get the part. You need a part to prove that. I gave up long ago trying to pursue it.' Lane also said he was 'grateful' to Ryan Murphy, whose advent allowed him to play major character roles in TV shows, including journalist Dominick Dunne in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and defence attorney F Lee Bailey in The People v OJ Simpson: American Crime Story. He added: 'Before I die, it would be lovely to get to play a juicy, serious supporting role in some film.'
