When Nicholas Alexander Chavez immersed himself in the role of Lyle Menendez for the Netflix series Monsters, a particular detail caught his attention: the “mask” imposed by Lyle’s father, Jose – a hairpiece to conceal Lyle’s hair loss. This seemingly superficial detail unveils a deeper narrative about control, image, and the hidden vulnerabilities within the Menendez family.
This “mask,” as Chavez describes it, is the infamous toupee that became a talking point during the Menendez trial. As Dominick Dunne, a former Vanity Fair writer, famously noted, this “state-of-the-art hairpiece, or toupée, or wig, or hair replacement” was practically a character in itself, almost as significant as the murder weapons.
Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez in Netflix’s Monster series, depicting the intense emotions and challenges faced by the character.
Chavez explained to Deadline the symbolic weight he attributed to the wig: “I really saw this wig as mask of sorts. It’s not one that he imposes on himself. It’s imposed by his father and the perfectionist standard that Lyle has to live up to. It’s a mask that hides a deeply, deeply wounded inner child who surfaces in episodes four.” This perspective highlights the toupee as not merely a cosmetic choice, but a symbol of the pressures and expectations placed upon Lyle by his father.
To prepare for this complex role, Chavez delved into books about the Menendez family and sought insights from people in Los Angeles who had connections to them. He discovered a recurring observation about Lyle’s hairpiece.
“When you’re working on a project about the Menendez brothers, especially living in Los Angeles where they lived, you meet a great many people who are one degree or two degrees of separation away from others who directly interfaced with them,” Chavez shared. “It was interesting because several of the people who I met with told me that they could tell that Lyle was wearing a piece. And when you wear a piece, there is certain behavior that goes along with that. You sort of angle your head in a very, very specific way, maybe even subconsciously, to try to keep distance between it and the person that you’re talking to.” This detail underscores how noticeable and perhaps even unnatural the toupee appeared to those who knew Lyle.
Episode 4 of Monsters, titled “Kill or Be Killed,” delves into the origins of this “embarrassing” toupee. The episode portrays Lyle confiding in his attorneys about the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father, Javier Bardem in the series. Following this revelation, a scene depicts Lyle noticing his hair thinning in the shower. Subsequently, Jose takes Lyle to a specialist to be fitted for a hairpiece.
In a poignant scene, Jose remarks to Lyle, “You look great in that. You want to succeed in business? You wanna go into politics? Then you’ve got to have a good head of hair.” This dialogue reveals Jose’s emphasis on appearance and societal expectations, linking a “good head of hair” to success and power.
Kim Kardashian, pictured visiting the Menendez Brothers case set, alongside Nicholas Chavez embodying Lyle Menendez, highlighting the cultural fascination with the infamous case.
Lyle’s hesitant question, “What if I don’t want to wear a wig?” is met with Jose’s stern and dismissive reply, “We can discuss this at home. You’re wearing a wig. That’s the way it’s going to be.” This exchange powerfully illustrates Jose’s controlling nature and Lyle’s lack of agency in even personal matters like his appearance.
While the series doesn’t explicitly state the cause of Lyle’s hair loss, Chavez infers that it was likely a consequence of the immense stress he endured. “I can only imagine it must have been such an anxiety-inducing experience. When aspects of the way you present yourself start to fall apart … when you don’t have these external validators of your identity to lean on … it really brings out nasty realities that might be living inside you. So I felt like maybe subconsciously, when the mask of who he pretended to be started to slip, the child underneath started to come through more and more.” This interpretation connects Lyle’s physical vulnerability to his emotional and psychological state, suggesting the hair loss was a visible manifestation of his inner turmoil.
Interestingly, Chavez himself did not wear a wig during most of the production. “They used my real hair for almost the entire production, but styled it to look like it was a toupée by teasing it. The only time where it’s not my real hair is if there’s a gag. So if the wig comes off, like the scene at the dinner table, or the scene where it gets snatched off while I’m in the prison showers, they would put the bald cap on.” This detail provides insight into the production’s approach to realistically portraying the toupee.
The dramatic moment when Kitty Menendez snatches off Lyle’s toupee in Monsters is rooted in reality. Lyle Menendez testified in court about this very incident, stating, “she reached, and she grabbed my hairpiece and she just ripped it off.” This event was particularly significant as it revealed the truth about the toupee to his brother, Erik.
According to Lyle’s testimony, Erik “didn’t know I had a hairpiece. I was completely embarrassed in front of my brother.” This moment of forced exposure and vulnerability in front of his brother further emphasizes the shame and secrecy surrounding the toupee.
In Monsters, Kitty’s act of ripping off the toupee during a heated family argument at the dinner table serves as a catalyst. This pivotal scene prompts the brothers to finally confront each other about the abuse they suffered, ultimately leading to their decision to murder their parents. The toupee, therefore, becomes a symbolic trigger, representing the unraveling of facades and the surfacing of long-suppressed truths within the Menendez family saga.
