Niecy Nash-Betts prioritized making sure her Grotesquerie love interest Travis Kelce felt supported on the set of his first scripted project.
“I just wanted to make sure I was very, very present for him in this new space,” Nash-Betts, 54, exclusively told Us Weekly. “[He was] coming into the acting world and was just getting baptized in [the acting world] real quick.”
Nash-Betts pointed out that joining a Ryan Murphy production is unlike any other show, adding, “[Grotesquerie] is going to come with some things that maybe other shows don’t present so I just wanted to make sure he felt covered. I wanted to make sure we had time to rehearse.”
For the actress, building the onscreen chemistry between her and Kelce, 35, was the easy part. “I was born to flirt, so that part is easy,” Nash-Betts joked with Us. “But Ryan was a great support for all of us throughout the filming process.”
Nash-Betts went on to tease where Kelce’s character, Ed, could end up after that shocking twist.
“The blessing about this particular show for an actor is that most of the characters play a duality,” she noted. “Travis went from being a charming person who worked at the hospital to being down and out on his luck guy who has a mullet.”
Grotesquerie initially followed Lois as she worked with a local nun named Sister Megan (Micaela Diamond) to figure out who was behind a series of heinous crimes in their community. Ed, meanwhile, was someone Lois met and instantly connected with amid a personal spiral. More than halfway through the season, viewers learned that everything that came before was a dream because Lois was in a coma the entire time.
“[There are] definitely more twists to come,” Nash-Betts hinted to Us. “When she transitions on the other side of episode 7 — to her awake life — it’s like meeting her with fresh eyes. It’s like, ‘Who is she now?’”
Nash-Betts reflected on how the show explored the dream version of Lois.
“Not necessarily everyone is experiencing Lois’ sort of addiction. But we all have our flaws. We all have the thing that might highlight something for someone in our orbit that says, ‘Hey, I know I’m not perfect, but I’m trying,’” she added. “I really wanted to make her relatable. And I still wanted people to see the good in her so that they would root for her.”
While speaking to Us, Nash-Betts praised Murphy, with whom she collaborated on several projects throughout the years.
“Ryan and I have a great relationship. It’s built on three things: love, respect, and foolishness. The third one is really what keeps us going. But Lois went on a journey and when you meet her, she’s at the height of her addiction. She is so close to her rock bottom,” she recalled. “So there’s a lot of layering in that performance because you never know where she is in her disease at a given moment.”
Nash-Betts continued: “How do you show all the layers? It is not an easy process, but that’s why I love Ryan so much. As a partner, he’s so hands-on that any place that there’s a question or a doubt, he is at the ready to help me unpack it and find my clear path that I want to present to the audience.”
Grotesquerie airs on FX Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET. New episodes stream on Hulu the next day.
