Nicholas Alexander Chavez, preparing for his portrayal of Lyle Menéndez in the series Monsters, focused intently on a powerful symbol in Lyle’s life: the “mask” his father, Jose, insisted he wear as he started to lose his hair.
Chavez refers to this “mask” as Lyle’s notorious hairpiece, which the late Vanity Fair journalist Dominick Dunne memorably described as a “state-of-the-art hairpiece, or toupée, or wig, or hair replacement,” emphasizing its significance during the trial—almost as crucial as the two missing shotguns that the Menéndez brothers used in their parents’ murder.
Reflecting on the role, Chavez tells Deadline, “I really saw this wig as a mask of sorts. It’s not something Lyle chooses for himself; it’s inflicted by his father and the relentless standards Lyle feels compelled to meet. It conceals a deeply wounded inner child who emerges strikingly in episode four.”
Before diving into this transformative role, Chavez immersed himself in literature about the Menéndez family while also engaging with locals in Los Angeles who had connections to the infamous case. “When you’re working on a project about the Menéndez brothers, especially in their hometown, you meet many people with ties to them,” he explains. “Several individuals I spoke with noted they could tell when Lyle was wearing a piece. Wearing a hairpiece often influences one’s behavior, leading to particular postures, maybe even subconsciously, to maintain a buffer between the piece and others.”
In the upcoming episode titled “Kill or Be Killed,” the show delves into the backstory behind Lyle’s hairpiece. As Lyle reveals to his attorneys that he was molested by his father, the narrative traces back to the moment he discovers his hair loss in the shower, prompting Jose to take him to a specialist for a hairpiece fitting.
“You look fantastic in that,” Jose tells Lyle in the episode. “If you want to succeed in business or politics, having a good head of hair is essential.” Lyle hesitantly responds, “What if I don’t want to wear a wig?” To which Jose retorts, “We can discuss this at home. You’re wearing a wig. That’s non-negotiable.”
While the series doesn’t explicitly mention it, Chavez suggests that Lyle’s hair loss stemmed from extreme stress. “I can only imagine how anxiety-inducing that situation must have been. When your external identity starts to deteriorate and you lack those outer validations, it can expose darker realities within,” he muses. “So, subconsciously, as the facade began to slip, the vulnerable child underneath surfaced more visibly.”
During production, Chavez reveals he didn’t actually don a wig. “For most scenes, they styled my natural hair to mimic a toupée. The only instances where it wasn’t my hair were for specific gags, like a dinner scene or a moment in the prison shower when the hairpiece is snatched off, at which point they used a bald cap.”
Lyle Menéndez described in court how, during a fight with his mother Kitty, she yanked off his hairpiece, revealing a secret to his brother Erik. “He didn’t realize I was wearing one. I felt utterly humiliated in front of him,” Lyle testified.
In Monsters, this dramatic confrontation at the dinner table prompts the brothers to confront their shared trauma and the eventual decision to kill their parents.