‘American Sports Story’ Star Talks Physical, Mental Prep to Play Aaron Hernandez
Josh Andrés Hernandez, who’s currently getting in shape to play the late, former NFL player and convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez on the debut season of FX’s American Sports Story, spoke about the complicated preparation process—both physically and mentally—with Euphoria star Hunter Schafer for Interview Magazine.
Rivera’s casting on the Ryan Murphy docu-soap was announced by Variety earlier this month. He rose to prominence as Chino in Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story (2021) and is currently starring as Sejanus Plinth in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Rogers was found guilty in 2015 for the murder of Odin Lloyd, though a definitive motive was never established. He was acquitted of two other murders in 2017, less than a week before he took his own life in prison.
“It’s a really meaty and multifaceted story,” Rivera told Schafer. “It’s been a real fulfilling challenge because I’ve never had to play a real person. There’s existing media of this person and before all these things came to light, he was considered one of the best players in the league. So I have to work out a ton and I have to look like I’m in the NFL.”
Rivera reported that he’s enjoying the process of bulking up, though. It’s been especially easy with the production company finding him the best trainers possible. “Working out is fun when it’s studio-subsidized. I wanted to get into shape anyway and now I have all this help,” he said.
Still, the actor feels quite a bit of pressure to faithfully embody a figure as well-known, and controversial, as Hernandez.“I feel that this guy is really different and I have to do a lot of work to internalize his disposition and what he is.”
Rivera continued: “It’s quite a bit more pressure because obviously, people who knew him can see it. We’re doing scenes that we know happened, but we don’t know exactly what was said, and I have to toe the line between emulating and imitating. It’s a real challenge.”
A premiere date for American Sports Story has yet to be announced. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the season is based on the Boston Globe and Wondery podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. Sports Story joins several other American Stories franchises on the network. Murphy’s American Horror Story, American Crime Story, and American Horror Stories have all been major boons for FX.
