He may be a football player — and also famously Taylor Swift’s boyfriend — but Travis Kelce’s lack of acting experience was no big deal to Ryan Murphy when he cast him in his newest FX show, “Grotesquerie.”
Speaking to reporters at a press conference attended by Business Insider ahead of the “Grotesquerie” premiere, Murphy explained how the unexpected casting came about. It all started with a general meeting with Kelce, who was a fan of Murphy’s work and was interested in getting into acting.
The “Glee” creator said he was already intrigued by what he’d seen of Kelce. “I always have a motto in my world and in my work that a star is a star is a star,” Murphy explained. “It doesn’t matter what field you’re a star in. If you have that charisma, you are going to bring it to whatever you do.”
In their meeting, Murphy gave Kelce some “fatherly advice” about breaking into the business, expecting their conversation to end with him assuring Kelce he’d keep him in mind for future projects. But Kelce was adamant about getting a role as soon as possible, while he was on a break from football and would be able to film.
“He said, ‘No, I want to do it now. I have three months now, and I really would love to have anything.'”
Murphy had just started on pre-production on “Grotesquerie,” and he offered to tailor a part in the show specifically around Kelce. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end was more than game.
“Grotesquerie,” which premieres Wednesday, is a horror drama that follows detective Lois Tryon (Niecy Nash-Betts) as she investigates a series of murders in a small community with help from a nun-journalist (Micaela Diamond).
FX hasn’t revealed any details about Kelce’s character — not even his name — but Murphy did divulge that he shares scenes with Nash-Betts’ character in the first episode, which Murphy directed.
“Niecy and I just instantly loved him and took him by the hand and let him know that he would not, could not fail,” Murphy recalled. “And he really was amazing.”
According to Murphy, Kelce spent months working with an acting coach, showed up to set off-book, and knew everybody’s lines.
“He was so professional. He was so committed. He kept saying to me, I’m real coachable. Coach me, coach me. So I did. And he ended up being a delight,” he added.
The prolific TV producer, who also is the co-showrunner of Netflix’s latest true crime drama “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” had nothing but positive things to say about his experience working with Kelce. In fact, he’s more than ready to work with him again.
“I would love to continue working with him on this and other things. I cannot say enough about him as a leader. He’s just the kindest, sweetest,” Murphy said. “Everything you think about him is true.”
“Grotesquerie” premieres Wednesday, September 25 at 10 p.m. ET on FX, and will stream on Hulu.
