Like Dahmer before it, the Ryan Murphy produced miniseries Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story has been steeped in criticism since it premiered—not the least of which has come from the Menéndez brothers themselves. Now Cooper Koch, the out actor who portrays Erik Menéndez, has responded to the series’ controversial portrayal of homoeroticism.

The latest iteration of the Monsters true-crime series chronicles the lives of the Menéndez brothers, whose 1989 murder of their parents became infamous throughout the early 90s over the course of the much publicized trial.

The series has garnered its own notoriety, but a striking point of controversy has been the implied incestuous relationship between the brothers, particularly one scene where they shower together.

In interviews with Variety, the cast and crew have responded to the criticism. Murphy argued that the point of the series is not to present the truth, which can never be fully known. “If you watch the show, what the show is doing is presenting the points of view and theories from so many people who were involved in the case,” he said.

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Koch echoed this sentiment. “I knew that this was a very controversial story, and that people were going to be upset and affected by what they were seeing,” he said. “I think, though, you do have to put it into context of the situation, and that we’re sort of painting a picture based on what somebody else’s perspective was.

“It’s not necessarily the truth of what happened — that’s just what Dominick Dunne [the Vanity Fair journalist reporting on the case] thinks, and there I think are other places in the story where it’s sort of planted to give people all of these different perspectives and you know.”

As for his own perspective, Koch stated he “absolutely does not” believe the brothers were incestuous. “I do not think that’s true, and I don’t think it was intended by the show to make or break that truth,” he said. “I think that was just a theory that one person had… and that got put into the show because that person was a character in the show. I stand with Erik and everything that he says in his testimony. I believe to be his truth, and I believe him.”

Erik Menéndez himself has commented on the portrayal through his wife’s X/Twitter account. “It is with a heavy heart that I say, I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives as to do this without bad intent,” he wrote.

Koch took that criticism to heart. “[Erik’s reaction] definitely affected me, and it made me feel things,” he said. “I sympathize with him, I empathize 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.”

Koch explained that he channeled that sympathy into his portrayal. “In terms of approaching him and approaching the part,” he said, “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.”

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