It’s not often that playing an intense priest in a town haunted by a religiously motivated serial killer would be seen as a treat. But after coming off “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” that was the case for “Grotesquerie” star Nicholas Chavez.
“Honestly, I would say that Father Charlie was easier to channel because I was able to just be impulsive, follow my instincts, go down a rabbit hole and allow myself to be inspired by the texture and the feel of the world around me that Ryan [Murphy] created,” Chavez told TheWrap during a press day for “Grotesquerie.”
In the widely-watched Netflix original, Chavez plays Lyle Menendez, the more vocal of the two brothers who were convicted and incarcerated for murdering his parents, José (Javier Bardem) and Kitty Menendez (Chloë Sevigny). Chavez’s performance has been widely praised in the divisive series. The crime drama was filmed right before another dark Ryan Murphy project, albeit one that was entirely fictionalized, FX’s “Grotesquerie.” Starring Niecy Nash-Betts, the new thriller revolves around catching a twisted killer terrorizing a small town.
“In [‘Monsters’], we were trying to honor events that have happened in the past,” Chavez said. “[‘Grotesquerie’] was an opportunity to play in a world where Ryan [Murphy] is creating from a place of original thought, unbridled imagination, intellect and creativity. I got to experience the full scope of what he’s able to create when there is no preexisting context. It’s just whatever he wants to put on the canvas.”
Chavez called the process of working on “Grotesquerie” and developing Father Charlie a “really, really special one.” A huge part of what made this collaboration “unique” was how Chavez worked with Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz and Joe Baken to figure out who exactly this religious man is.
“He’s a very conflicted character. The way he sees himself and the way he sees the world around him, it often doesn’t line up with what he says he believes. He’s willing to take big risks to get what he wants,” Chavez said. “The most challenging aspects of playing Father Charlie ended up being what made him so delightful as a character to live in. It is that inner conflict. It is the fact that his inner life disagrees with his outer life.
“It’s been a real joy,” Chavez added.
“Grotesquerie” premieres with the first two episodes Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX. New episodes air Wednesdays and will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.
