Max Winkler, director and co-showrunner of “Monster: Ed Gein Story”, shared more details about the behind-the-scenes process of casting Charlie Hunnam for the new season of Netflix’s true crime series.
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The new season of “Monster” tells the story of Edward Theodore Gein, better known as Ed Gein — a serial killer and grave robber from Wisconsin. He was convicted of murdering three people.
Charlie Hunnam (“Sons of Anarchy”) was chosen to play Gein in the series, and director Max Winkler explained how he “played” with producer Ryan Murphy and the actor to get him on board to portray the killer.
The director told Entertainment Weekly that he was exchanging ideas about projects and actors with Ryan while dining with Hunnam at the same time. He also spoke about working with Javier Bardem during the season focused on the Menendez brothers.
“So I texted Ryan during that dinner and kind of played them off each other. I talked to Ryan, I talked to Charlie, and by that same Friday, we were all having dinner together talking about Ed Gein,” he said.
+Watch the trailer for “Monster: Ed Gein Story”
“By Sunday, Netflix was already reaching out to close the deal. That’s the kind of thing that only happens when you work with Ryan Murphy — or maybe Steven Spielberg,” joked Winkler.
The director also told the outlet that he believes “Monster: Ed Gein Story” will be a fascinating “character study.”
“Thanks to the scripts by Ryan and Ian Brennan, as well as extensive research, we were able to explore the themes of mental illness and how we continuously fail people struggling with mental health in this country.”
The season is now available on Netflix.
Photos: Netflix Tudum. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
