The following article contains mention of self-harm and suicide.
Warning: SPOILERS ahead for the American Sports Story season 1!American Sports Storystar Josh Rivera and showrunner Stu Zicherman have explained Aaron Hernandez’s final monologue during the ending of the series.American Sports Storyendsmuch differently than Hernandez’s real-life story, with the football player (Rivera) having a hallucinatory conversation with his father (Vincent Laresca) in his final moments. This is a far cry from his more tragic, real-world suicide, wherein the former Patriot painted images on his cell wall in blood and left behind references to the Illuminati. The TV series imagines a more tender ending that explores his humanity more thoroughly.
Speaking withTheWrapabout the ending, Rivera explained howthe changes made inAmerican Sports Storyreflected Hernandez’s identity beyond his crimes, laying out who he was in his final moments. Zicherman added the moment was a reconciliation of his murder of Odin Lloyd, owning up to what he’d done despite his disassociation for so long. The showrunner also praised the star’s work in the scene, given his ability to pull off a complicated final scene in the drama. Check out what Rivera and Zicherman had to say below:
Josh Rivera:There are a lot of things in all of our lives that are really informative to our identities. I couldn’t speak to the reality of it, but at least in this narrative the father — his treatment of Aaron and his passing — was massively informative. It seems like a fitting way to lay everything out on the table before we say goodbye to the character. It’s such a thing that’s present throughout the series. The way that I relate to it, there are tiny little things that people are in denial of all the time, myself included. Maybe it’s physical tics or vibes you bring to the group that maybe you aren’t aware of. We have this mechanism in us as human beings to have this established sense of identity, and anything that conflicts with that totally shatters our illusion of who we are. I tried to bring that to the character as much as possible.
Stu Zicherman:Josh and I talked a lot about how Aaron was so proficient at keeping secrets. He could disconnect and disassociate from things. And he really believed in some way he didn’t do it, but that was what we were trying to reconcile at the end. What if he had to actually look in the mirror and consider that he did do this and express some regret?…. I love the whole second part. I kept rewriting it for Josh. That transformation literally takes place in the scene. I don’t think many actors can do the scene we did.
Josh Rivera:I felt very protected by everybody. That’s really what I can say about it. It was a great fitting end and a lot of work.
What Rivera & Zicherman’s Statement Reveal About American Sports Story’s Ending
The Change From Reality Allows For Deeper Thematic Exploration
While thecast ofAmerican Sports Storybrings Hernandez’s crime to life,the show also highlights the role chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) had in the murder. However, it doesn’t use the neurological disease to vindicate the football player’s crimes, instead using it to emphasize the complexities associated with the murder. By portraying him in a sympathetic light during his final moments, the show not only avoids glorifying his disturbing real-life suicide, but also raises awareness about how the disease destroyed him.
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Although the final episodechanged Hernandez’s fateto some extent, its careful balance between the reality of what happened and an emotional ending still captures the elaborate nature of his crime.The show was about the former Patriot’s crimes alongside who he was as a person, from his repressed sexuality to the damage CTE did to him. It’s clear that, by giving him one last imagined conversation with his father, Rivera and Zicherman wanted to craft a memorable ending that didn’t unceremoniously dwell on the harsh tragedy of his final moments.
Our Take On How American Sports Story Ended
It Made Sense Not To Glorify Hernandez’s Suicide
AlthoughAmerican Sports Storychose not to depict Hernandez’s suicide, the decision makes sense to avoid glorifying the tragic way his life ended. By showcasing a final conversation with his father, the story becomes all the more tragic, imagining what could have been had he not murdered Lloyd. Given the emotional finale, it’s clear the show set out to tell the story it wanted to, with Rivera and Zicherman’s contributions making it all the more heartbreaking.
All episodes ofAmerican Sports Storyare now available to stream on Hulu.
American Sports Story
Cast
American Sports Story is a TV show from Stu Zicherman and executive produced by Ryan Murphy. The series stars Josh Andrés Rivera as Aaron Hernandez and Patrick Schwarzenegger as Tim Tebow. The sports anthology series serves as the fourth installment in Murphy’s “American Story” franchise.
