From podcasts to multiple documentaries, the rise and fall of once-respected NFL star Aaron Hernandez has certainly been well-documented. An FX limited series is the latest to revisit the saga, attempting to go beyond the headlines and delve deeper into his story.
“American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” stars Josh Andres Rivera as the New England Patriots tight end. It details Hernandez's troubled childhood, which included an abusive father who demanded his son play football and display masculinity and toughness to the world. Secretly, Hernandez also struggled with his sexuality.
He played college ball at the University of Florida and was selected by the Patriots. Over time, the series shows how Hernandez's behavior became increasingly erratic. He was convicted of murder and committed suicide in 2017 while serving a life sentence. After his death, research revealed that Hernandez's brain showed evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Brad Simpson, one of the series' executive producers, said in an interview, “What we've tried to do with this show is take a tabloid headline, take any story that you think you know about Aaron Hernandez … and go behind it and see what it's like to walk in the shoes of all the people who are a part of this show.”
Hernandez’s life, crimes and death have previously been detailed in long-form articles, documentaries such as Netflix’s “Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez” and the podcast “Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc.,” which is the basis for “American Sports Story.”
Rivera, best known for supporting roles in the recent “Hunger Games” prequel and 2021’s “West Side Story,” said playing the former tight end is a “responsibility that you have to approach with a certain level of sensitivity.”
Rivera said that as he began to learn more about Hernandez's life, watched recordings of phone calls he made from prison and viewed clips of his interviews, he began to understand the many layers to Hernandez's life and became even more eager to play him.
“To a lot of people, he was very charming and charismatic and easy to get along with. There were a lot of people who felt that way, so it was interesting because you have to analyze the 'why,'” Rivera said. “There's clearly a magnetism there, which hides an inner life that is very complex.”
Rivera said she enjoyed the challenge of working on the character, and called Hernandez a “chameleon”.
“The amount of tenderness and even candor, or the amount of arrogance he had, varied from person to person, so I tried to incorporate that into the basic essence,” he said.
Transforming into Hernandez was also a physical commitment for Rivera, who described getting into NFL shape as a “meathead summer,” where he increased his food intake and worked with trainers to build muscle. The hardest part of the transformation for Rivera, however, was getting inked.
Her mobility was often limited during filming to keep the tattoos safe, which she said she initially found frustrating, but eventually, the “oppressive feeling” of not being able to move around freely was something she turned into her character's frustration.
Rivera stars alongside Jaylen Baron as Hernandez's high school girlfriend and later fiancée Shayna Jenkins, Lindsay Mendez as his cousin, Ian Castellanos as his brother, and Tammy Blanchard as his mother. Patrick Schwarzenegger plays Hernandez's college teammate Tim Tebow, Tony Yazbek as former Florida State coach Urban Meyer, and Norbert Leo Butz as former Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
With the first sports-focused season of the “American Story” franchise, producers said they are interested in analyzing the “American religion of football.” They also hope viewers will question their preconceived notions about people who were involved in stories that impacted the country, like Hernandez’s.
“We can use this story to challenge some viewpoints or add a little nuance for people who maybe don't know much about it or have a certain mindset about it,” Rivera said. “It's an interesting opportunity.”