Sam Nivola and Cooper Koch Open Up About Playing Intense Brother Roles and the Emotional Toll of Transformation

Sam Nivola and Cooper Koch both took on emotionally demanding roles portraying brothers in high-stakes narratives this past year. Nivola’s portrayal of Lochlan in The White Lotus involved a darkly layered sibling dynamic, culminating in an intense near-death sequence.

Koch played Erik Menendez in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, portraying a complex figure in a highly publicized murder case. Both actors had to embody emotionally and psychologically intense moments — Nivola’s finale and Koch’s one-take confession scene — that served as critical emotional anchors in their respective series.

Despite not having met prior to this interview, Nivola and Koch found numerous personal and professional parallels. Koch joked that Nivola “kind of is” his brother, while Nivola quipped they should have swapped shows.

Their backgrounds in performance arts also reflect early starts — Nivola grew up with actor parents, while Koch was raised with industry ties through his producer grandfather. Both actors spoke candidly about their early love for acting, their first roles, and how their families influenced their career choices, particularly the tension between parental caution and artistic ambition.

From Auditions To Immersion, Actors Found Depth Through Preparation, Passion And Shared Experience

Nivola shared how his love for cinema blossomed through a mix of school theater and a desire to impress a girl, which evolved into a genuine passion for film. His big break came through a straightforward audition process for White Noise, with a key callback session involving Mike White.

Koch, on the other hand, had a more intense audition process for his Ryan Murphy project, which involved a surprise meeting with Murphy himself. Koch emphasized the emotional resonance of the Menendez case for him, having auditioned for similar roles over the years and even attending the same high school as the real-life Erik Menendez.

Koch took a methodical approach to embodying Erik Menendez, listening to recordings of him daily and practicing his mannerisms to better communicate the trauma underlying his character’s actions. His preparation culminated in a challenging one-take scene that took months to emotionally calibrate.

Meanwhile, Nivola discussed the immersive environment of The White Lotus, where the cast lived together in a remote hotel during the shoot. This isolation helped deepen his bond with co-star Patrick Schwarzenegger and mirror the intense sibling relationship depicted on screen.

Embracing Flawed Characters And Discovering Humanity Through Emotionally Demanding Transformative Acting Experiences

Both actors reflected on how public perception often misinterprets their characters as deviant or morally compromised. Nivola acknowledged criticism of his role as “creepy,” while Koch dealt with portraying a character many still view as a cold-blooded killer.

Yet, both actors emphasized the importance of loving the characters they portray, understanding their motivations, and offering audiences layered human perspectives. This internal empathy, they believe, is what allows viewers to see beyond the characters’ actions and into their emotional truths.

In closing, the actors spoke about how these roles changed them. Nivola, who previously dismissed actors who claimed to “lose themselves” in roles, found himself emotionally transformed after filming his death scene in Thailand. Koch admitted he was genuinely affected by the performance and the sense of loss it conveyed.

Both men emerged from their respective projects with a deeper appreciation for the craft and the emotional intensity it demands, highlighting the personal growth that comes from fully inhabiting complex characters.