How Cooper Koch Fought for the Role of Erik Menendez in Netflix’s Monsters'
Cooper Koch shares how determination and multiple auditions led to his breakout as Erik Menendez in ‘Monsters.’
Cooper Koch’s breakout role as Erik Menendez in Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story didn’t happen overnight. The 28-year-old actor, who gained major attention in 2024 for his performance, recently revealed just how determined he was to land the part.
During an interview for Variety’s Actors on Actors series with The White Lotus star 
Sam Nivola, Koch explained he had actually auditioned to play one of the Menendez brothers twice before. His second-ever audition was for Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders in 2017, and he also tried out for Lifetime’s Menendez: Blood Brothers that same year, but both roles went to other actors.
“I just felt like this insane cosmic, universe-y thing that was like, ‘I have to play this part,’” Koch said of his connection to the story. He even visited the real-life Menendez brothers in prison to better understand their experience.
Though those early auditions didn’t work out, Koch’s persistence paid off. His portrayal of Erik Menendez in Ryan Murphy’s Monsters series brought him a Golden Globe nomination and a growing global fanbase.