Travis Kelce Was ‘Shocked’ Ryan Murphy Gave Him Role in ‘Grotesquerie’
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Travis Kelce was as surprised as everyone else by his casting in Ryan Murphy’s forthcoming FX series Grotesquerie. Speaking on the latest episode of his New Heights podcast, Kelce recounted working on the series, which also stars Niecy Nash-Betts.
“I was kinda blown away and kinda, like, shocked that he was willing to give me a role like this, because it is a big role on the show,” Kelce said of Murphy. “He seemed very confident that I’d be able to do this and he kinda injected that in me the first conversation that we had. So hopefully I don’t bomb this for him.”
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He added that so far it has “been so much fun” to be on the set of the show alongside Nash-Betts, Courtney B. Vance, and Lesley Manville.
“Ryan Murphy is [an] unbelievable writer, director, producer, all of the above, man,” Kelce said. “He’s just — there’s nothing he can’t do and everybody’s just been so helpful in making me feel comfortable. Even on top of that, just giving me kinda the direction I need and the coaching I need to portray this part that I’m in.”
Still, he admitted to feeling like a “jabroni” working alongside professional actors. “I feel like an amateur,” the football player acknowledged. “And, uh, I haven’t gotten fired yet so we’re doing good. They haven’t told me to fucking kick rocks after the first week, so it’s been awesome.”
He added that he’s “just taking it scene by scene and trying to make sure that I remember my lines. I’m very amateur at this.”
Kelce’s brother Jason, with whom he co-hosts the podcast, tried to get him to spill some details on the show’s storyline and characters. But Kelce said he didn’t “want to give too much away.” He added that “the name itself can tell you it’s quite a mystery and every scene has just been so much fun to be in.”
Kelce’s casting on Grotesquerie was revealed earlier this month when he confirmed the news in an Instagram post featuring a video of him with Nash-Betts. “Guys, guess who I am working with in Grotesquerie?” Nash-Betts asked in the video before panning the camera over to Kelce. “Stepping into new territory with Niecy,” Kelce replied.
Grotesquerie represents the Super Bowl champion‘s first major acting role. Previously, Kelce, who is also known as Taylor Swift‘s significant other, hosted Saturday Night Live in March 2023, acting in numerous skits. He appeared in one episode of Showtime series Moonbase 8, which stars Fred Armisen, Tim Heidecker, and John C. Reilly.
Kelce also has experience in unscripted series, including his one-season reality dating show Catching Kelce and as the host of Prime Video’s forthcoming game show, Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?. Kelce was recently an executive producer on indie film My Dead Friend Zoe, which premiered at SXSW. He is set to produce an upcoming documentary on artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, King Pleasure.
Murphy has traditionally given roles to non-actors on his shows. In the past, he gave Lady Gaga her first major role on American Horror Story: Hotel and recently put Kim Kardashian in American Horror Story: Delicate.
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