TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of rape, suicide, assault, self-harm, drug abuse, death, and depression; also, spoilers ahead.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story star Cooper Koch might find himself at the center of another controversial project—and that’s exactly what he wants. Well, the new project, not the controversial part.
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Back in October, Cooper sat down with Harper’s Bazaar to talk about his role as Erik Menendez and possible future projects. During the interview, Cooper mentioned wanting to turn Hanya Yanagihara’s 2015 best-selling novel A Little Life:
“I just wrote a letter to Hanya Yanagihara to do A Little Life. That’s at the top of my list. I would really like to get that made… so I need to go to a good studio that’s gonna trust her and me and would be able to make it happen.”
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What is ‘A Little Life’ About?
The novel is a chronological narrative of the lives of four friends–Jude, Willem, JB, and Malcolm–with interweaving flashbacks throughout the story. The story eventually progresses into focusing on Jude’s life as an adult and as a child–specifically, his childhood trauma from years of sexual abuse by his supposed caretakers in a monastery–all of which he hides from his closest friends.
Throughout the story, we learn that Jude’s life is extremely complicated, painful, and traumatic with him experiencing rape and sexual abuse not only in childhood but also during his adult years. JB plays a significant role for having made fun of Jude for his chronic leg pain after a spine injury, which leads Jude to having a fall out with his friends, except for Malcolm.
Later on, Jude enters into an abusive relationship with a fashion executive named Caleb who rapes him twice and beats him almost to death. After the breakup, Jude succumbs to multiple attempts at taking his own life and self-harming. As the story progresses, Jude admits to becoming aversive to sex because of the years of trauma he went through. The story doesn’t end well, and will have you emotionally drained by the time you close the book.
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Why is the Novel So Controversial?
Hanya Yanagihara’s novel is deeply infused with themes of rape, sexual assault, childhood abuse, drug abuse, self-harm, and suicide. A Little Life is an emotional rollercoaster that only allows brief moments of relief interwoven throughout the story. However, this does not detract from the fact that the overall narrative is emotionally taxing and dark. If you are willing to endure the highs and the extremely low lows, the novel presents a powerful exploration of the complexities of trauma, loss, grief, and suffering, leaving a lasting impact on the reader.
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Cooper’s Contribution to Queer-Storytelling
Should Cooper Koch’s manifestation come true, this wouldn’t be his first controversial project with Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, They/Them, and Swallowed under his acting belt, all of which are also very queer-centric. When asked if his choice for queer-related projects are intentional, he said:
“I want to be a really strong and powerful voice for young LGBTQ+ people. And I always want to tell queer stories and be involved in queer projects. I think it’s really important for our community and for our generation to be able to see themselves represented authentically in entertainment.” Adding, “…I really wanna keep telling queer stories, it’s important to me.”
This is not to say Cooper won’t be accepting straight roles. With the right story, Cooper says he’ll be happy to play the part.
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A Possible TV-Adaptation?
When Cooper Koch appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show with his twin brother Payton, the Monsters star spoke about wanting to be part of the screen adaptation of the controversial book, which drew audible gasps from the audience—understandably so. He noted that the author, Hanya Yanagihara, has been interested in turning the novel into a TV series, which is currently in the early stages of development. Cooper expressed his desire to meet with the author in hopes of securing a role in the adaptation.
well well well so are we actually getting a tv adaptation of A Little Life ? pic.twitter.com/BEAhL79v6D
— 〽️Remy (@REMumbles) November 14, 2024
The author and the official page of the book shared a picture of Cooper holding a copy of the book with the caption:
Could Cooper be a shoo-in for a role? Which one? We’ll just have to wait and see. What are your thoughts on the screen adaptation of this controversial book?
Sources: Harper’s Bazaar, Drew Barrymore Show
I want more of him. Such a talented actor and easy on the eyes.