Travis Kelce’s ‘Grotesquerie’ Character Was Written Specifically For Him, Says Ryan Murphy

Despite being a football player — and also, famously, Taylor Swift’s boyfriend — Travis Kelce’s lack of acting experience was no problem for Ryan Murphy when he cast him in his latest FX series, Grotesquerie.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference attended by Business Insider ahead of the premiere of “Grotesquerie,” 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 wanted to pursue acting.

The “Glee” creator said he was already intrigued by what he saw in 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 charisma, you’re going to bring it to everything you do.”

During the meeting, Murphy gave Kelce “fatherly advice” about getting into the business, expecting their conversation to end with Kelce assuring him he would keep him in mind for future projects. However, Kelce was adamant about getting the role as soon as possible while he had a break from football and could film.

“He said, ‘No, I want to do it now. I have three months now and I would really like to have anything.'”

Murphy had just started pre-production on Grotesquerie and offered to tailor a role for Kelce specifically. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end was more than up for it.

Travis Kelce in “Grotesquerie”.

Special effects

“Grotesquerie,” which premieres Wednesday, is a horror drama about Detective Lois Tryon (Niecy Nash-Betts), who investigates a series of murders in a small community with the help of a nun-journalist (Micaela Diamond).

FX hasn’t revealed any details about Kelce’s character — not even his name — but Murphy did admit that he appears in scenes with Nash-Betts’ character in the first episode, which Murphy directed.

“Niecy and I just loved him right away, and we took him by the hand and told him he wouldn’t fail, he couldn’t fail,” Murphy recalled. “And he was truly amazing.”

According to Murphy, Kelce spent months studying acting, showed up on set irregularly and knew all the actors’ lines.

“He was so professional. He was so dedicated. He kept telling me I was really coachable. Coach me, coach me. So I did. And he ended up being a delight,” he added.

The prolific TV producer, who also co-created Netflix’s latest crime drama, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, had nothing but positive things to say about his time working with Kelce. In fact, he’s more than willing to work with him again.

“I’d love to continue working with him on that and other things. I can’t say enough about him as a leader. He’s just the nicest, sweetest,” Murphy said. “Everything you think about him is true.”

“Grotesquerie” premieres Wednesday, September 25 at 10:00 PM ET on FX and will be available on the platform Hulu.

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