The season finale of “American Sports Story” laid naked the tragic finish for Aaron Hernandez, that after promising NFL participant. Closing out the 10-episode season, the FX restricted collection dramatized the ultimate days in jail of a younger man haunted by ghosts and riddled with guilt, who noticed dying as the one attainable launch from his inside demons (and his pending authorized woes relating to varied homicide indictments).
The episode, titled “Who Killed Aaron Hernandez?,” shies away from easy solutions to that query. As an alternative, it stresses how internalized homophobia, poisonous masculinity, an emotionally stunted father determine, an NFL workforce wanting to coddle its gamers — to not point out the consequences of continual traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), courtesy of a lifetime on the sphere — all performed key roles within the violence that doomed Hernandez’s life and profession.
And entrance and middle, within the present, was Josh Rivera. The actor, who beforehand starred in “West Side Story” and “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” skillfully anchored his portrayal of Hernandez within the many contradictions that stricken the Connecticut-born participant by means of his temporary life (he died at simply 27 years outdated). In his arms, Hernandez might be each the irascible macho man who fired photographs in chilly blood at strangers and mates alike, in addition to the doe-eyed, wounded boy who simply needed to be liked by his dad and located consolation within the arms of different males (away from the eyes of his fiancee).
Rivera talked to The Occasions concerning the finale, the work that went into creating a sophisticated portrait of a determine many have judged primarily based on the headlines that adopted his imprisonment and dying, and why he’s slowly studying to bask within the reward that’s been heaped on him for this breakout efficiency. This dialog has been edited for readability and size.
Josh Rivera as Aaron Hernandez within the finale of “American Sports Story.”
(FX)
How has it felt seeing the present now come to an finish?
It’s simply been a extremely attention-grabbing expertise. There’s simply loads of first instances which might be taking place for me proper now. As a result of I’ve additionally by no means accomplished a whole collection, which is an entire completely different muscle in itself. It’s been actually relieving for it to only be out. I imply, it’s out of my arms. There’s nothing I can do. And no matter individuals wish to really feel, they’ll really feel.
After which, normally, career-wise, I’ve this factor that’s in all probability not unusual for actors to have, however each job that I do, I end it and I’m like, “All right, it was nice while it lasted,” you understand? “I guess that’s the end of the road.”
I’ve this unease perpetually about that. And now one thing I’m discovering actually thrilling is the quantity of conversations I’m having about growing stuff and being extra concerned within the artistic features of issues. This present was the primary time I’ve ever felt like I bought to take any sense of possession over the general product. I wasn’t a producer in it or something, however I had an open line of communication with everyone who was creating it, which was the primary time that’s ever occurred for me.
That is fairly an bold miniseries telling a somewhat advanced story a few very public determine — everywhere in the course of 10 episodes. As an actor, how did you strategy figuring out you’d be portraying Aaron from his highschool years, then his soccer profession and all over to his dying?
I used to be nervous about that originally, but it surely ended up being monumentally useful since you get to differentiate the elements that come collectively in the long run a little bit bit extra by depicting them chronologically. As a result of once you take a look at the tip product, and once you take a look at all of the press surrounding this determine, there’s simply so many elements that go into it.
You discuss sexuality. You discuss CTE. You discuss getting cash actually, actually early. Getting fame, actually, actually early. You discuss concerning the relationship along with his dad. So once I was approaching the story, I used to be identical to, I don’t know what to do. How do you make a characterization that’s in any respect particular when you may have this many vary of things?
What was very nice about constructing this narrative was that we bought to put it brick by brick. Then over time, we get to the season finale, the place all of this stuff are pulling at one another. It makes it loads simpler to belief the inspiration that we’ve already constructed.
However I received’t lie, at first, it was extraordinarily intimidating. I didn’t actually know the way I used to be going to do it.
Jose Baez (Jose Pablo Cantillo), left, George Leontire (Gregory Porter Miller) and Aaron Hernandez (Josh Rivera) in “American Sports Story.” Leontire, an out homosexual man, was one of many legal professionals who represented Hernandez.
(FX)
The one second that the majority struck me, particularly as a homosexual man watching, was the temporary scene when he realizes one in all his legal professionals is homosexual and Aaron flat-out asks him who’d molested him as a baby. It’s such a revealing second for a way Aaron understood his sexuality. How was it like teasing out that scene?
That scene makes me so unhappy. I don’t keep in mind the context by which his lawyer informed that story, however that’s an actual story that his lawyer informed and he expressed feeling loads of sympathy in that second towards Aaron. Since you don’t know the diploma to which Aaron’s been preserving that to himself his total life, and also you don’t know what number of issues, what number of assumptions, or what number of selections have been constructed on that assumption to himself. I simply thought it was very well written and it’s essential. However it’s tough.
Particularly as a result of I feel one of many issues the present stresses all through is how unfastened and free Aaron may really feel when he allowed himself to be open and tender with different males, like with Chris (Jake Cannavale). However he so not often permits himself that.
And there’s in loads of completely different moments within the present, too, instantly coming after these very actual, tender moments, the sensation of failure. He appears like he has failed himself and others. To have that shut, direct affiliation — I imply, gosh, that may be actually largely informative on the alternatives that you simply make. I’m glad that that learn, as a result of that was one thing that I do know was essential to [writer and creator] Stu [Zicherman], to emphasise that authenticity in these moments, and feeling like there was an actual a part of himself that he might be in these moments. It’s very unhappy to see that related to failure. I’m saying this, clearly, from the attitude of the narrative that we’re telling.
The Hernandez household, from left: Aaron’s fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins (Jaylen Barron), his mom, Terri Hernandez (Tammy Blanchard), and older brother D.J. Hernandez (Ean Castellanos).
(FX)
And a sense of failure so tied to his father, who seems on this episode as a sort of hallucinatory imaginative and prescient in jail, which can be fairly an affecting second.
After I was studying the draft for the ultimate episode, I bought actually excited once I noticed that scene. As a result of I used to be like, “This is it. This is the big monologue.” Aaron may be very brief on phrases for principally all the collection, so it was thrilling to have the ability to discuss at size in a scene. I used to be like, what a wonderful second to only lay every thing out. I feel it’s such bookend for his character as a result of with out it, the entire thing is simply very, very darkish. Narratively, I feel, simply as a shopper, you need one thing that’s simply even a little bit bit like a interval. There’s some acknowledgment of the complexity of his life that’s there earlier than he strikes on.
You loved that type of fantasy strategy to that scene?
I assumed that that was actually essential, and I assumed it was fantastically written, as a result of I did loads of analysis about CTE and one thing that was actually troublesome about that was the way it can solely be identified after dying. I needed to have a look at movies of individuals interacting with different individuals whereas having CTE, however that’s very exhausting as a result of you may have lots of people who suppose they’ve it, or individuals who suspect that they may have it, and so they seem to be very regular individuals.
However then the tough factor is that if you find yourself put beneath rigidity or battle, stuff begins to floor. What that stated to me is how terrifying it should be to really feel this perpetual sense of unease and don’t know why. As a result of, once more, it may possibly’t get identified. It doesn’t get uncovered in an MRI. You simply really feel bizarre. And your resolution making is simply so wild. So the thought to get some sense of full readability, whether or not or not it’d be in a dream sequence, and know the way it feels to have a neurotypical mind for even a pair moments earlier than you go, I discovered the idea of that actually attention-grabbing. I’m glad we have been capable of put that in.
Josh Rivera on whether or not it was exhausting letting Aaron go: “Maybe there were certain parts of it that I needed to shake off a little bit. But largely, I try really hard to keep work at work.”
(Ben Cope)
It does make for a pleasant second of closure. What was that for you? What was the final scene you shot as Aaron?
I keep in mind the very last thing I shot was truly laying on the bottom, useless. That was in all probability on goal. I imply, this would possibly sound chilly, but it surely was sort of good. I simply pretended to be useless. It was fairly straightforward. However earlier than we shot that, it was just about again to again to again, like unhappy and darkish and tragic. It actually was a really, very intense dash to the end, and never one thing that I’ve needed to do earlier than.
Was it exhausting, then, letting Aaron go?
I don’t know. I prefer to say no as a result of I don’t actually subscribe to the concept you must take issues dwelling with you. I attempted actually exhausting in between takes to only be jovial and make jokes and stuff like that. Now and again, I might get pressured. However it by no means felt like Aaron remains to be with me. I don’t actually imagine in that. I feel individuals have loads of issues to say about technique actors however that’s not one thing that I do.
However I didn’t converse to anyone for like a month and a half after. So there’s that, too. Perhaps there have been sure elements of it that I wanted to shake off a little bit bit. However largely, I strive actually exhausting to maintain work at work.
On that word, is there one thing you’re taking away from this undertaking, both personally or professionally?
Properly, I didn’t suppose I may do one thing like this. I really feel extra succesful than I did earlier than I did this undertaking, which is a cool feeling. However I’m discovering out loads of stuff about my response to each reward and criticism, which has been attention-grabbing. I get so uncomfortable with reward. It’s actually bizarre. I don’t know. I used to be with a good friend of mine, and we’ve identified one another for some time, and she or he was telling me how good one of many episodes have been. And I used to be like, “I need you to bookend that with an insult” — I don’t know. It’s a humorous little factor of mine that I’m discovering.
A whole lot of it needed to do with watching the present once more and being like, I may do higher. I might do that in a different way. It’s a irritating feeling. However it’s additionally sort of good. I like feeling that I’ve loads of room to develop. I nonetheless very a lot really feel like a newcomer. And it’s a cool feeling to be like, “Oh, this is a good place to start.” It will get me actually excited for different stuff that I would do sooner or later.
Which begs the query: What’s subsequent?
I’m engaged on one thing that’s very, very early in improvement proper now. Hopefully we’re going to get to writing on the prime of subsequent yr. I’ve additionally simply been very impressed to jot down. I bought along with a good friend of mine, and we’re engaged on a pilot for a comedy collection. It’s simply very thrilling, as a result of I’ve at all times needed to jot down. I bought actually hooked on this sense of possession over my creativity whereas I used to be doing this undertaking. So yeah, there’s a pair issues. Hopefully I is usually a little bit extra particular quickly, however I’m actually enthusiastic about all of it.
That does sound very thrilling. And a pleasant change of tempo, particularly with a comedy.
Sure, actually. I’m not at all times crying and dying, I promise.
