Ryan Murphy already tackled O.J. Simpson‘s case in American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, but the lauded TV creative is shifting focus to another footballer embroiled in true crime with the newest series American Sports Story, which shines a light on late Patriots’ player Aaron Hernandez.

Bringing the story to television depended upon who would play Hernandez, a task that didn’t come easily for the writers and creatives behind the scenes. Ultimately the role went to Josh Rivera who is known for his roles in Steven Spielberg‘s West Side Story and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.

FX

“I didn’t think it was ever going to get made because we would never find someone to do it, you know?” executive producer Stuart Zicherman says. “And then Josh’s audition came in from Berlin and one of our producers, Nina Jacobson, had been working with him on The Hunger Games, and she’s like, ‘I’m telling you, this is the guy,’” Zicherman recalls.

“There’s a vulnerability to him that no other actor could bring, you know? And I think actors can play violence, they can play anger and rage… but there’s something vulnerability. If we didn’t have that vulnerability, we couldn’t humanize him. And one thing I feel good about that we’ve done in the show is we’ve humanized him. We’ve dimensionalized him,” Zicherman adds.

While Rivera notes, “I used to play football in high school,” the star admits that getting back on the field wasn’t so easy. “I was a linebacker and I was a guard. So I never had to catch a ball in my life. And I remember there being like a day or two where I was like, ‘I’m going to do it.” Ultimately, Rivera says, “I got shut up so fast.”

As he took on the real-life role of Hernandez, his costars Patrick Schwarzenegger and Norbert Leo Butz also channeled their best Tim Tebow and Bill Belichick. “I’m a big fan of Tim Tebow,” Schwarzenegger shares. “And to learn more about his life, it was really fun. It’s exciting.
You get to see more of Tim off the field and his relationship with Aaron, because that’s what ultimately had the largest impact in both their lives.”

See what else the cast had to share in the full video interview, above, and don’t miss American Sports Story when it debuts on FX.

Additional Reporting by Damian Holbrook

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, Series Premiere, Tuesday, September 17, 10/9c, FX (next day on Hulu)