Monsters star Javier Bardem has admitted the reason why he was initially hesitant to accept the role of José Menendez in the hit true crime anthology.
The second instalment of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan's Monsters (previously titled Monster) series landed on Netflix earlier this month and has been a huge hit with viewers.
Depicting a dramatised version of the 1989 killings of José and Kitty Menendez at the hands of their sons Lyle and Erik, the show has since skyrocketed to the top of Netflix viewing charts.
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The series doesn't shy away from the more harrowing details of the case, with the mental, physical and sexual abuse José allegedly subjected his sons to played out in great detail on screen.
Various scenes from the show see José engaged in heated altercations with his sons, while Erik and Lyle's trial testimonies of alleged sexual abuse were used almost word-by-word by actors Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez.
The dark nature of José depicted on-screen was something which Bardem said he thought 'a lot about' prior to taking the role.
"I thought about it a lot actually. It took me a while to say yes [to the role], because of the issue," the actor, 55, told LADbible exclusively, when asked about how he prepared to play José.
However once he 'committed' to the role, Bardem added that he then focused on giving his best performance.
"Once I was committed to do it, I didn't think too much about it. I will just jump in, do the thing, and come out and don't make a big thing about it. It was exactly what I need to portray," he said.
"I portrayed it, and I step out of it because I didn't want to stay in there [as José Menendez] for too long."
Bardem also shared his thoughts on Erik Menendez's criticisms of the series, admitting that he hadn't 'personally' read the 53-year-old's response.
"I know that everybody involved in this show, everyone involved, we really approached to it with a very with all of our care and attention and delicacy to really bring it on and be able to portray the story that we were trying to portray in the most delicate and fine way possible," the No Country for Old Men star explained.
Bardem's co-star Chloë Sevigny also added that she understood it would be 'difficult' for the brothers to see themselves played in a dramatised fashion.
"I mean, I can imagine it would be very difficult to see someone playing, you know, portraying you know, your family or you, or anything like that," she said.
"I think it's amazing that Netflix is now going to release this documentary that lets them speak in their own words on the case.
"They will have a chance to express their feelings about what they did and their lives - and everybody will get to hear their side of the story from their mouths."
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is on Netflix now.
Topics: Netflix, Menendez Brothers, Originals
Brenna Cooper