INDIANAPOLIS — Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk created the television anthology "American Story" series: "American Horror Story," "American Crime Story" (with seasons about O.J. Simpson, Gianni Versace and Monica Lewinsky)," American Horror Stories" and now "American Sports Story."
The latter's first season is about the rise and fall of former NFL superstar Aaron Hernandez.
"It's about a person who was on top of the world and at the height of his career, (he) was convicted of murder," said Josh Rivera ("West Side Story," "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes"), who plays Hernandez.
With previous supporting roles in the aforementioned films, Rivera is stepping into the spotlight in his first lead performance as the troubled football player.
"I was so tunnel-focused on getting the job, and then after I got the job, I was like, 'oh my gosh, I better do a really good job,'" Rivera said. "I immediately started the prep work, and I wanted to be physically ready."
Also important to know was that Hernandez was posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, which, according to the Mayo Clinic, can cause impulsive and aggressive behavior, emotional instability and suicidal thoughts.
Traumatic head injuries and concussions continue to be major discussions when it comes to contact sports like football.
"I wasn't in it quite as long as some of my peers were. I played for three years, and I ended up shifting gear toward the arts," Rivera said. "Credit to the NFL for introducing new technology and new helmets to mitigate that."
Although the 10-episode limited series is based on information gathered for The Boston Globe podcast "Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc.," Rivera said he did his own research to look at all the different perspectives.
"It was my responsibility to take as much of the facts, the verifiable stuff that I was given, and turn that into a character," Rivera said. "I tried really hard to focus on that and be sensitive because that's without disregarding altogether all these people who care about this story. It's an interesting line to walk."
New episodes of "American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez" air Tuesdays on FX and are available to stream on Hulu the following day.