Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce headed for the limelight in Hollywood during the recent offseason and focused on an acting gig in L.A. ahead of one of his worst starts in his NFL career.
After winning Super Bowl LVIII, Kelce tracked down six-time Emmy Award winning writer and director Ryan Murphy and badgered him for some acting gig during the NFL offseason.
According to Variety, Murphy initially told Kelce that he would keep the NFL player in mind if something came up. But apparently Taylor Swift’s boyfriend played his privilege card and demanded that Murphy find something immediately.
“No, I want to do it now. I have three months now and I really would love to have anything,” Kelce reportedly said when Murphy said he would keep the football star in mind.
Murphy, then, decided to give Kelce a shot by putting him in his FX limited series crime drama, Grotesquerie, which Murphy was co-creating and directing at the time.
“I have this one part, and if you’re interested, I will specifically write it and tailor it for you,” Murphy told Kelce revealing even more privilege the player found in Hollywood.
Kelce did, indeed, take the part and Murphy was thrilled with the result.
Speaking of series star Niecy Nash-Betts, Murphy said, “Niecy and I just instantly loved him and took him by the hand and let him know that he would not, could not fail. He really was amazing. He worked with an acting coach for several months. He showed up off book. He knew everybody’s lines. He was so professional. He was so committed”
Murphy added that, “He showed up off book. He knew everybody’s lines. He was so professional. He was so committed. He kept saying to me, ‘I’m real coachable, coach me, coach me.’ So I did, and he ended up being a delight. I would love to continue working with him on this and other things. I cannot say enough about him as a leader. He’s just the kindest, sweetest. … Everything you think about him is true.”
On the red carpet at the Emmy Awards, Nash-Betts said fans will see Kelce “quite a bit” in the 10-episode limited series, People magazine reported. “I think the audience is really gonna love him in the series. He did such a good job,” she said.
All the praise for Kelce’s Hollywood debut stands in contract to the start of his 2024 NFL season in which he is struggling to maintain his Chiefs star status. Kelce has only eight receptions for 69 yards and no touchdowns through the first three weeks of the NFL season.
His falling stats have sent many to blast him for “prancing around the globe” with Taylor Swift instead of keeping his mind on his actual job of pro football. And even sports talker Stephen A. Smith has advised Kelce to refocus his mind on football and away from frivolous Swiftiness.
Grotesquerie premieres on FX on Sept. 25.
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