Ari Graynor has tears in her eyes.
You know, nothing happens in a void, she says.
Murder doesnt happen in a void; a trial doesnt happen in a void.
Ari GraynorPhil Chester and Sara Byrne*
We are all part of the culture, and everything is connected.
TheMenendez brothersare currently serving life sentences for the gruesome killings of music executive Jose Menendez and his wife Kitty.
I believe deeply that they should be out of prison, and they were horrifically abused, Graynor says.
Andthey went on a spending spree,andthey were asshole kids.
In addition, she also happens to be a talented photographer.
I was like, well, maybe Ill be a photographer.
Ill really lean into that.
As a photographer, Graynor tends to shoot from a one-off, instinctual place.
Then Ill grab the camera and take one photo, she says.
I just grabbed [my camera] and took it.
Most of the courtroom shots exist simply because Graynor remembered to bring her camera that day.
I wish I had taken more, she says.
Theres something beautiful about shooting on film.
But thats what I love about the specialness of an actual photograph.
It lands in a different way.
(Monsterswas one of the first projects to go back into production following the strike.)
There was so much goodwill and appreciation coming in there, Graynor says.
Everybody held the space with a lot of grace and gentleness.
I can fall down a hole sometimes in my own work, she says.
There was a really intense play I did, and I could not shake it.
I would come home and cry every night.
Finding that internal boundary has definitely been something that Ive thought about more recently.
[Koch and Chavez] were such a gift in that way.
Then wed be like, OK, what are we going to do for dinner?
She has been hearing about the hardest parts of humanity for 30 years, Graynor says.
At first, I would skip over them, because I was like, This is too hard.
Then I realized, No, I have to.
I have to build up my ability to hear this.
As Ari, all I wanted to do was sob and hug them.
But [Abramson] was holding space for them in a different way.
In a statement shared with the Netflix documentary producers, Abramson said: Thirty years is a long time.
Id like to leave the past in the past.
No amount of media, nor teenage petitions will alter the fate of these clients.
Only the court can do that and they have ruled.
More recently, Abramson told reporters of the Murphy series: That piece of shit that I heard about?
I didnt watch the last series, and I dont watch any of the shows about it.
Graynor did compose an unsent email to the since-retired lawyer, which she fears would not be well-received.
Maybe people had opinions about certain things in the show, but they werent untrue.
We like really clear narratives… On the small screen, Graynor has had supporting roles in prestige miniseries such asMrs.
Americaand web link fare like J.J. Abrams sci-fi proceduralFringe.
But its tough out there.
Theres always been a name-game element in casting, of course, since the advent of movie studios.
Graynor has even gotten the chance to personally visit with Lyle, whom she calls wonderful.
A judge has since set a Dec. 11 date to consider the D.A.s request.
