Cooper Koch found monster success thanks to his latest project.
The actor, 28, picked up his first Golden Globe nomination for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story, in which he portrays Erik Menéndez.
Ahead of the 2025 Golden Globes ceremony on Sunday, Jan. 5, Koch told Heather McMahan on E! Live From the Red Carpet that “life really has changed” since starring in the hit Netflix series.
“This is amazing,” he told McMahan, 37. “I’m so grateful and honored to be here. And everyone in my category’s like, insane. What a talented group of people. And I’m just honored to be next to them.”
Colin Farrell, Richard Gadd, Kevin Kline, Ewan McGregor and Andrew Scott round out the best performance by a male actor in a limited series, anthology series or a motion picture made for television category.
When McMahan asked Koch about which of Monsters’ famous fans slid into his DMs, he revealed that Kim Kardashian reached out to him to rave about the show.
“It was fun,” he said. “She’s great. I love her.”
After Monsters’ release in September, Koch joined Kardashian, 44, her sister Khloé Kardashian and their mom Kris Jenner to visit the Menéndez brothers at San Diego’s Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, where they’ve have been incarcerated since they were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for the murder of their parents.
Kardashian and Koch spoke with the brothers about the Green Space project, which the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation put forward in hopes of combating high recidivism rates by making life in prison more closely resemble the outside world.
“I was so nervous before I got there,” Koch told PEOPLE at the time. “I had spoken to both of them, so I knew we already kind of had a camaraderie, and they knew where I stood. I told them I supported them and I believed them. I had a feeling they were going to welcome me with open arms, but still so nerve-racking to meet someone who you’ve been listening to and are inspired by.”
But when Koch came face to face with Erik, “there was an immediate connection,” the Golden Globe nominee said. “I got to hug both of them, and I sat next to Erik in this circle with all the other incarcerated individuals who were telling their stories, and they were both so kind. They’re amazing people.”
On the heels of Monsters’ success, Koch finds himself being selective about his next project.
“It’s amazing to be in a different position now,” Koch told McMahan on Sunday, Jan. 5. “I can sort of pick and choose, and I want to do something that means something to me, that I feel passionate about. I feel like my work is just better when I feel deeply connected to a story, to a person or to a specific meaning or purpose. And so I want to find something that is really special and I feel really passionate about.”
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