Cooper Koch Plays the Long Game

Aside from the physical resemblance and mirrored mannerisms, Koch and Menendez both attended Calabasas High School, either a great coincidence or a genius casting calculation on Ryan Murphy’s part. Moreso, Koch feels a deep connection with the younger Menendez brother in the way they’ve both dealt with shame throughout their adolescence. “I didn’t deal with sexual abuse, but I dealt with shame just in terms of my sexuality and how I identify” he says.

But now, those days are over. With this juggernaut role under his belt, Koch is focused on the future and landing the next big script that really speaks to him on a visceral level. A man with no social media presence, Koch has mostly built up his persona outside of Erik Menendez through interviews and press junkets. There has been talk of him possibly playing Patrick Bateman in an American Psycho remake, an acting undertaking that Koch has indelibly proven he’s fully capable of.

PAPER sat down with the actor to discuss his surreal year, dream journals and how playing Erik Menendez influenced his personal style.

You’ve been all over doing so much press. What’s been the most surreal moment doing these interviews?

The first thing that came to mind is the SAG screening that we did in New York. They screened episode five, and we did a Q&A and got to talk about it. We’ve done a couple other screenings and Q&A’s with the entire cast and they showed episode one, which was also really fun, but getting to really dissect episode five and to sit there just me and Ari [Graynor] felt really special and so rewarding. I really enjoyed that.

Episode five is the one long shot of Erik just talking about the molestation in detail, right?

Yeah.

That was really compelling. What goes into filming a scene like that — do you kind of go out of your body?

Not necessarily out of my body. You know, if you get lost in it, then you’re doing it right. I never felt like I was out of my body, I just felt like I was in Erik’s body, which is a body and a mind that I created and knew so well inside and out. By that point, I was comfortable to be him. And also being him for 34 minutes, I was able to really get lost. That was so magical. I’m just grateful for that experience. It’s amazing.

What do you think it would’ve been like if you were cast as Lyle instead of Erik? Do you think you would’ve had a hard time? Do you specifically identify with Erik? I know you both went to Calabasas High School.

Yeah. I connected with Erik specifically because, while they both deal with shame, I think Erik dealt with more shame because what was happening to him happened for so much longer and for such a bigger chunk of his life. For Lyle, the sexual abuse was really only happening from age 6-8, whereas for Erik the abuse was happening from 6-18. That’s not to devalue the trauma that Lyle has, but I think because it happened for so much longer with Erik it really felt more damaged to his psyche, his self worth, his self esteem and his identity. In that respect, I think I connected more with Erik because shame is something that I dealt with a lot in my upbringing. I didn’t deal with sexual abuse, but I dealt with shame just in terms of my sexuality and how I identify.

But I would be fascinated to play Lyle. It would’ve been a challenge for me and really exciting. There’s so much testimony and source material that I would’ve studied and watched just as much. There were times when I was watching Lyle’s testimony that I was moved and connected even more with him than I did with Erik at certain times. So it would’ve been really fascinating, and it would’ve been a challenge because I don’t innately connect with him as much as I do with Erik.

I feel like Erik is way easier to connect with, especially seeing all the TikTok edits and fan cams since the show came out. He’s portrayed as a much sweeter, sensitive, gentle soul.

Yeah, which I honestly think is kind of messed up. I think you can really connect with both of them. Like I just said, there are some stories and testimony that Lyle says that really deeply affected me. So much so that I stole a story from Lyle’s testimony and put it into the show. In episode one in the eulogy scenes at the funeral, Erik talks about the birds and how the one thing he loved about his mom is how she took care of the birds and that there was a big window in the house. That was actually a story from Lyle’s testimony, but it moved me so much that I took it. It wasn’t written into the show. I only had a little bit of a eulogy, but I wanted something to lead me into the ending part, so I just wrote that so I could improv it into the scene. And they kept it in the show, which was so cool. But in that respect, I think you can empathize with both of them. Maybe because Erik’s the younger brother and the abuse lasted for longer with him, maybe you feel for him more, but I really feel for both of them.

I want to know about you and Nicholas’ chemistry when you first met. Did you guys go to lunch or something to get to know each other better? There’s obviously such a history and extensive documentation with these brothers that is very rich to work with, but what did you guys do to connect on a more personal level?

We did our screen test and clearly it worked because we got the parts. But yeah, there was a chemistry that was already there. Then we had a couple meals together. We had lunch one time to celebrate, and we maybe had one more meal. But we didn’t really talk or spend any time together before we started shooting. Organically that just happened and we did our own homework by ourselves. When we got into rehearsals, we were seeing each other every day. With the amount of time we were spending with each other working, in rehearsals and then shooting, we naturally developed a working relationship where we really stepped into our roles and showed up ready to play. We did our homework and got to work.

You’ve said that you listened to Erik’s lengthy testimonies while you were falling asleep. Did any of the Menendez brothers stuff ever show up in your dreams?

I don’t remember any specific dreams, but I did try to do a dream journal. It never really worked for me, but I would write in the journal before I went to bed asking for dreams or messages in a dream. Unfortunately, it never really happened. Sometimes that just happens with the brain. But I would fall asleep while it was playing, and then it would wake me up. It just steeped into my brain, especially Leslie’s voice. I would wake up to her asking, what felt like me, a question. I watched them so much that I would start to be able to know what the answers were, and what Erik was gonna say. So then I would answer Leslie with Erik, and try to say it in the exact same way he says it. I would do that in the car or in my bed at night when I was going to sleep.

So you were sleep talking?

Exactly.

That’s interesting. I remember in high school people said to sleep with the textbook under your pillow to absorb the information or something. I don’t know how that works, but…

Yeah, or just listening. It’s something about listening or reading something right before you go to bed. So if you read the test questions or if you study right before you go to bed, I think when you sleep, it sort of absorbs? Yeah, I don’t know. But listening is really helpful. One of my favorite things about TV, books, movies or any sort of entertainment is if you go back and watch it for the second or third time, you’re gonna constantly pick up something that is new. You’re gonna understand it in a more profound way. I think that also applied to listening to the testimony and reading the books and articles. Or even just reading the scripts over and over again, you constantly learn new information the more you look at it.

Has playing Erik influenced your personal style at all?

After I got the part, I did get an Erik wardrobe. So during the summer and then when we were in rehearsals, and even when I would go to work, I had all these vintage sports sweaters. They’re called Russell Athletic. I bought two or three of those, and then I just had old sweaters and dad jeans. I would wear my tennis sneakers. I bought all kinds of tennis clothes, and I would try to wear that stuff all the time. I didn’t really go for the "looking rich" type thing in terms of how I dressed. I dressed more relaxed and of the time. In my tennis short shorts and then throwing on a sweater, that’s what I was wearing while I was filming or during the summer before when we were on strike. Now I have sort of dropped that style. I’ve gone back to my own stuff, but I don’t even know how I would identify my own style. I honestly wear sweatpants and a hoodie a lot. I always want to be really comfortable. Today I’m wearing my Doc Martens, big jeans and a sweater.

So maybe you guys just always aligned in style.

Yeah. I think I dressed it up a little bit more ’80s while it was happening.

What was it like going to Calabasas High School? I went to a very Texas public high school, so that seems fascinating to me.

I had an amazing high school experience. I was very, very heavily involved in all respects. I was on the volleyball team. I played viola in the orchestra. I was in an acapella group. I did musicals and plays. I was in theater arts club. I did a lot and loved everything about how the school really wanted you to be an artist and wanted you to pursue music, acting, dance or theater. Luckily, I was there the year that they built this big performing arts center. I was in the first show that was ever done at that theater, which was West Side Story in 2013. I was really lucky to have that experience. It prepared me also for my college auditions for theater and acting school.

I was just thinking since it was Calabasas that the Kardashian sisters went there, but then I looked it up and they went to some private girls school.

Yeah, Kendall and Kylie went to Sierra Canyon.

How was it going to the prison with Kim Kardashian to visit the Menendez brothers? It must’ve felt so overstimulating.

It was very surreal. It was a pretty crazy day. All I can say is that I am just so grateful for her, and I will owe her for the rest of my life that she made that happen and so quickly. Through my stylist Jamie, she called me, and within two hours a plan was already in place. She called me on Monday and then we went on Saturday. Her passion for prison reform and incarcerated individuals is so inspiring. I’m forever grateful to her for that experience and for including me. That day, and then watching the entire show with my friends and family, were the two best days so far.

What are you watching or listening to right now?

My friend Sedona’s music. She is an amazing artist, and I encourage people to check her out. I love her music. In terms of movies or TV, I went to the Anora premiere a couple weeks ago in New York, which was amazing. I loved that film. I just watched Emilia Pérez, which was fucking fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed that film. I’m very excited to see Queer, The Room Next Door and The Brutalist. My partner and I just rewatched all of White Lotus and Severance. Those are two of my favorite shows.

Severance is coming back! Did you see the trailer?

I did. I’m very excited for that to come back, which is why we rewatched it.

I know you became close with Chloë Sevigny during and after shooting the show. Did you know a lot about her before landing Monsters?

Yeah, the first thing I saw her in was American Horror Story: Asylum. I thought she was great. I’ve always known that she was your New York it girl, so I was super excited to get the chance to work with her.

What is the future looking like for you? Are you already focused on your next role?

Yeah, I have some stuff in the works. There are some potential things happening, but very early stages. Nothing I can really talk about yet. I’m really excited to get back to work. I’m just being very careful and selective with what I do next. For me, I’m looking at my career as more of the long haul. I’m not the kind of person that wants to always be working and constantly be doing something else, getting to the next gig as fast as I can no matter what it is. I want to be really strategic about the roles and projects that I do. I just want to do things that I’m passionate about and that really resonate with me. I’m not doing it for the money or for more fame and success. I want to tell cool stories and work with like-minded people. That’s what I’m after. I’ll wait two years if I have to.

I’m not doing it for the money or for more fame and success. I want to tell cool stories.

Photography: Ruben Chamorro
Styling: Marissa Pelly
Grooming: Kennedy Trisler

Photo assistant: Joshua Janke
Styling assistant: MJ Perez, Jordan Kennedy
Grooming assistant: Kyle Brennan

Editor-in-chief: Justin Moran
Managing editor: Matt Wille
Editorial producer: Angelina Cantu
Story: Ivan Guzman