Cooper Koch has shared details about his full-frontal nude shower scene in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. The 28-year-old actor portrays Erik Menendez in the Ryan Murphy-led show, which hit number one on Netflix after its September 19 streaming debut. At one point during the nine-episode series, Koch’s character is seen naked while showering in prison.
Now, Koch has revealed that he did indeed bare it all while shooting the famous shower scene. He made the confession during a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, in which the Bravo producer counted down Hollywood’s “top five most iconic full-frontal moments.”
“Just to say mine was not a prosthetic,” Koch chimed in, to which Cohen replied: “Well that was going to be my next question. Congratulations to you, Cooper. You’re very blessed, aren’t you.”
The Swallowed star then let out a smile, as he joked: “Well hung.”
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, a follow-up to Murphy’s hit 2022 true crime drama Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, tells the story of real-life convicts Erik and Lyle Menendez, two brothers who murdered their parents in Beverly Hills in 1989.
The Menendez brothers were convicted of the murders of their parents, José (Javier Bardem) and Kitty (Chloë Sevigny). They were arrested for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder outside their home in March 1990 and sentenced to life in prison in 1996.
Monsters also depicts the sexual abuse that Lyle and Erik alleged to have been perpetrated by their father. However, Erik – who is serving a life sentence at the RJ Donovan Correctional Facility in California alongside Lyle – has claimed Murphy’s series does not accurately portray their crime, and accused the creator of releasing “disheartening slander.”
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Murphy defended the Netflix series, saying: “I think it’s interesting that he’s issued a statement without having seen the show. I know he hasn’t seen the show in prison. I hope he does see the show.”
He added that “if you watch the show, I would say 60 to 65 percent” of the scripted narrative centers “around the abuse and what they claim happened to them. And we do it very carefully and we give them their day in court and they talk openly about it.”
“We present the facts from their point of view,” the Glee creator said. “We spent three years researching it - all of that is true.”
The Naked Scene
One of the most talked-about scenes from Ryan Murphy's new Netflix series involves Koch fully nude in a prison shower. Cooper Koch has revealed that he didn’t use a prosthetic penis in a widely discussed prison shower scene in Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story.
The actor, who plays Erik Menendez in Ryan Murphy’s new Netflix series, appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen yesterday (October 14) to discuss the show. In reference to the full-frontal nudity in the prison shower scene, Cohen counted down the top five most iconic full frontal moments in film and TV over the years.
“Well that was going to be my next question,” Cohen replied. “Congratulations to you, Cooper. You’re very blessed, aren’t you.”
“Well hung,” Koch quipped.
When asked, “What’s the scariest thing about showing full-frontal nudity on camera?”, Cooper said he wasn’t really worried about it. He explained: “You know it’s not scary. I would say it’s more uncomfortable at first. It’s more cold. Especially in the shower. It was warm in the beginning.”
The Real-Life Story of Erik and Lyle Menendez
Koch stars opposite Chavez as the Menéndez brothers, who murdered their parents, José and Kitty, with a shotgun at their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989. Both the cast and Murphy have defended the show from criticism by its subjects. The brothers have since been in a Netflix documentary telling their story after Erik said that he believes “Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent”.
In response, Murphy told E! News: “I think that’s interesting because I know he hasn’t watched the show. So I find that curious. I hope he does watch it. I think if he did watch it he would be incredibly proud of Cooper Koch who plays him.”
Koch added (via Variety): “[Erik’s reaction] definitely affected me and it made me feel things. I sympathise with him, I empathise 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. 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.”
The ‘Incest’ Accusations
The show also recently attracted more criticism for depicting an incestuous relationship between the brothers, with scenes depicting them kissing. One scene involved their mother, played by Chloë Sevigny, walking in on them kissing in the shower.
The Future of the Menendez Case
As is the case for many of Murphy’s true crime projects, “Monsters” has stoked a fair amount of controversy. However, it’s also helped reignite public interest in the Menendez brothers, who in 1996 were convicted of their parents’ murders and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Last week, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon confirmed he was reviewing evidence that could give the two men a shot at freedom after 28 years behind bars. Among those who have advocated for the brothers to be released is Kim Kardashian.
“Had this crime been committed and trialed today, I believe the outcome would have been dramatically different,” she wrote in an essay published by NBC earlier this month, pointing to the men’s well-documented claims they were sexually and physically abused by their parents as children.
