To sign onto a project that鈥檚 shrouded in secrecy requires one key element, Courtney B. Vance says. Trust.
Creator Ryan Murphy came to Vance and admitted the character he wanted him to play in 鈥淕rotesquerie鈥 鈥渨asn鈥檛 fully formed,鈥 but 鈥淚 told him, 鈥業 trust you completely.鈥欌
Now, Murphy鈥檚 banking on Vance and others to keep the limited series鈥 secrets as long as possible. In the new FX drama, Niecy Nash-Betts plays a detective who鈥檚 investigating a series of crimes in a small town. Micaela Diamond plays a nun and journalist who helps her; Vance plays Nash-Betts鈥 husband; Raven Goodwin plays their daughter.
Kelce's place
Also in the cast: Nicholas Alexander Chavez as a priest and Kansas City Chiefs standout Travis Kelce as a mysterious character connected to the story. A murderer, perhaps?
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鈥淗e did a great job,鈥 Vance says of the football star. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 go on the football field and do what he did for us. He was always prepared.鈥
Murphy鈥檚 take: 鈥淎 star is a star is a star. It doesn鈥檛 matter what field you鈥檙e a star in, if you have that charisma, you鈥檙e going to bring it to whatever you do.鈥
The Emmy-winning producer had a meeting with Kelce and told him he had a part for him in 鈥淕rotesquerie鈥 and he could 鈥渨rite it and tailor it for you.鈥 Kelce seemed eager 鈥渁nd knew everybody鈥檚 lines鈥nd was so committed. I would love to continue working with him on this and other things. Everything you think about him is true.鈥
Still, those involved with the limited series are mum on the role.
Vance鈥檚 character, meanwhile, spends time in a coma. 鈥淚 recommend it for everyone,鈥 he says with a laugh. He and Goodwin had to become family very quickly.
鈥淗e just exudes excellence,鈥 Goodwin says.
鈥淒irecting is 75, 80 percent casting,鈥 Vance adds. That explains why Murphy has a repertory company of actors who appear in a number of his projects 鈥 from 鈥淎merican Horror Story鈥 to 鈥淕lee鈥 to 鈥淧ose.鈥
Chavez had聽worked with Murphy on 鈥淢onsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story鈥 and found, again, trust was key to taking the 鈥淕rotesquerie鈥 role.
New challenges
鈥淚t鈥檚 a different challenge every time,鈥 he says. 鈥淚n Father Charlie鈥檚 instance, he鈥檚 truly a character who I could bring my own creativity and inventiveness to. Lyle Menendez is a real person; Father Charlie is open to interpretation.鈥
That means Chavez could help mold the character. 鈥淗e鈥檚 aware of his own sexuality and he weaponizes it throughout the series.鈥
Diamond, meanwhile, is convinced there is no role model for nun who鈥檚 also a journalist. 鈥淭his woman is really weird and ambitious and finds bizarre pleasure in the gruesome,鈥 she says. 鈥淪he believes the truth of killing will actually bring more people to the church鈥hen you鈥檙e in the depths of darkness and evil, you end up finding faith.鈥
Good and evil
While she didn鈥檛 have a track record with Murphy, Diamond realized a lot of the acting work was done by the writers. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e saying the lines鈥nd it falls into place. There鈥檚 trust in the project and what you鈥檙e doing.鈥
While 鈥淕rotesquerie鈥 probes the idea of good and evil, it doesn鈥檛 side with one or the other. Diamond, who鈥檚 Jewish, grappled with the concept. 鈥淚 went from being conservative in a temple to not believing in God, to now needing some higher power to exist, to move through the hard parts of life. Everybody in the show has a different opinion of that.鈥
Once viewers get to see the show, Vance says, 鈥測ou all will be talking about evil and how much we need it.鈥
Murphy kept 鈥淕rotesquerie鈥 鈥渦nder lock and key鈥 because so many shows have been promoted months in advance 鈥渁nd you know everything. There are twists galore every week,鈥 he says. 鈥淎nd it was important to me to let people experience the story as it unfolds. I鈥檝e not done that a lot in my career, but this is something I wanted to do.鈥
"Grotesquerie" airs on FX.