Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Monster: The Ed Gein Story.Ryan Murphy has become iconic for his ability to give us nightmares. Whether it’s a wildly frightening murderous clown on American Horror Story or a serial killer named Jeffrey Dahmer on Monster, Murphy indulges our love of the truly terrifying. In his latest Netflix series, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Murphy has introduced viewers to another real-life serial killer, played by Charlie Hunnam. With his deeply disturbing performance as Ed Gein, Hunnam has wowed us with his haunting, slackjaw expression, creepy voice, and macabre personality. It’s certainly a long way off from his role as Jax Teller in Sons of Anarchy. Hunnam has definitely pulled off this incredibly dark and compelling part, which is leading him to become part of a longstanding Murphy tradition.
Charlie Hunnam Will Be in the Next Season of ‘Monster’
Murphy recently announced that the next iteration of his popular Monster series will be Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, which will depict the tale of the legendary axe murderer. Lizzie allegedly killed her father and stepmother in 1892, and an intense media circus surrounded the ensuing court case. She was eventually acquitted, but the case does mark one of the first ever heavily documented true-crime stories in the U.S. Ella Beatty is set to play Lizzie, and several other roles have been cast already, including Rebecca Hall as Lizzie’s step-mother. Hunnam has also been cast as Lizzie’s father, marking his second appearance in a Murphy-led series. He’s joined by fellow Murphy favorites like Billie Lourd, who has appeared in multiple seasons of American Horror Story, and Vicky Krieps, who popped up alongside Hunnam in the last season of Monster. There’s no official release date yet, but the newest season has already begun filming, demonstrating that Murphy has wasted no time keeping Hunnam in his orbit.
Ryan Murphy Casts the Same Actors in Many of His Shows
Hunnam is definitely not the first actor that Murphy has recast in other shows that he’s written or produced. In fact, Murphy has become well known in the industry for using his favorite actors in various projects. One of the best examples of this is Sarah Paulson, whose career truly lifted off after she starred in multiple seasons of American Horror Story. The anthology series reused several famous faces in multiple seasons, including Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, and Angela Bassett (who has led the Murphy production of 9-1-1 for eight seasons now). But Paulson does stand out in Murphy’s universe because she has crossed over into several different franchises of Murphy’s. He also cast her as Marcia Clark in American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson. Paulson won an Emmy for this role, and has nabbed an impressive six other nominations for her performances in Murphy shows. It would make sense that she would find herself back in Murphy’s world after seeing new heights of her success.
Murphy’s tradition of casting his favorite actors across his various shows has also been demonstrated in his Monster series. Evan Peters made a name for himself in American Horror Story’s very first season, but he took home an Emmy nomination for his disturbing portrayal of Dahmer in Monster‘s first season. Niecy Nash-Betts managed to win an Emmy for that same project, but she’d already appeared in Murphy’s horror comedy, Scream Queens (and has since led the cast of Grotesquerie and will appear in his upcoming series All’s Fair with Paulson).
And then there’s Darren Criss, who was a fan favorite on Murphy’s musical series Glee. After showing off his singing voice as Blaine Anderson, he transitioned into dramatic roles by playing the deranged killer, Andrew Cunanan in Murphy’s American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. Criss would win an Emmy, and demonstrate that he could truly play anything. Even Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow has become part of Murphy’s famous group with roles in Glee and The Politician.
But not all of Murphy’s actors are considered household names. Another perennial favorite, who acts as a chameleon in every role he casts her in, is Leslie Grossman. Grossman appeared in Murphy’s very first television series, Popular, in 1999 and has since been cast in several seasons of American Horror Story and in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. It just shows that no matter how big the part, if you get cast in a Murphy project, you have a great shot of being cast in another one.
The Ryan Murphy Stable of Actors Creates an Exciting Buzz For Each Project
There are actually a lot of benefits to having a stable of phenomenal actors like Murphy has. First, by using these familiar faces, Murphy is able to create buzz about each show with these well-known names. This increases water cooler chat about a show before it even comes out, and makes the show more likely to have better ratings once it’s released. There are many viewers who will flock to any project with these actors’ names attached. Secondly, Murphy uses these particular actors in a way that tends to showcase their immense talents. The versatility required from an actor to appear in these very different parts is extremely impressive, and not necessarily achievable by every actor working in Hollywood.
For example, before Beatty was cast as Lizzie Borden, she appeared as a young, naive, ingénue model in 1960s New York in Murphy’s Feud: Capote Vs. the Swans — a far cry from a woman accused of chopping up her parents in the 1800s. By taking on both Murphy roles, Beatty is going to prove to audiences that she has the chops to play any part. The respect for his actors also goes both ways. Murphy’s projects are often over-the-top in terms of graphic violence and sexual content. His actors must trust him to play these roles so effectively. By using the same actors in multiple series, Murphy has established a valued relationship with his actors that results in the types of compelling dramas that audiences gravitate towards.
Just like these other actors, it’s easy to see why Hunnam has been cast in another project by a prolific creator like Murphy. Hunnam’s ability to play roles with intensity and vulnerability has impressed Murphy, as well as anyone who has watched Monster. It will be interesting to see what other parts Hunnam takes on in the future, but as long as he’s in Murphy’s orbit, he’s definitely in for an exciting career going forward.
Monster: The Ed Gein Story is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
