As Travis Kelce makes the leap from the field to the screen, he’s teasing his featured TV debut in the Ryan Murphy-verse.
The 3x Super Bowl champion recently discussed his role in Ryan Murphy‘s latest FX series Grotesquerie, which premieres Wednesday at 10pm ET/PT, noting that Murphy “did an unbelievable job” on the horror drama show.
“I cannot wait to see everybody’s reaction of me being in a mystery thriller. Kinda scary. What the f— is going on? It’ll get you thinking now,” Travis told his brother Jason Kelce on their New Heights podcast. “Buckle up, boys!”
Jason then asked if his character is “even alive,” questioning if there’s a Sixth Sense element, to which Travis quipped, “Are any of us alive, Jason? No. … It might be a little of that. I don’t — maybe though.”
The 10-episode drama follows a series of crimes that have unsettled a small community. Detective Lois Tryon (Niecy Nash-Betts) feels these crimes are personal as if someone—or something—is taunting her. With no leads and unsure of where to turn, she accepts the help of Sister Megan (Micaela Diamond), a nun and journalist with the Catholic Guardian. As Lois and Sister Megan string together clues, they find themselves ensnared in a sinister web that only seems to raise more questions than answers.
Niecy Nash-Betts in FX’s Grotesquerie.
Prashant Gupta/FX
Details of Travis’ character remain under wraps.
“I’m excited. I haven’t seen anything yet,” he said earlier in the podcast. “I’ve kind of been just focused on training camp and football as everything’s been getting edited and finished. I’ve just been locked in on the season.”
Travis added, “You read the scripts and everything, and I’m not gonna lie, I focused on my parts more than I understood the entire grand scheme of the show. So, there are parts that I was watching the trailer, I was just like, ‘Oh, this is really interesting.’ I’m definitely gonna dive in and watch it for sure.”
Murphy previously said during a press conference that he was willing to “specifically write” and “tailor” a character for Travis after the Kansas City Chiefs tight end “said he was interested in getting into acting…it ended with me saying, ‘Okay, well, I’ll keep you in mind, and maybe we’ll come up with something.’ And he said, ‘No, I want to do it now. I have three months now, and I really would love to have anything.’”
Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Raven Goodwin, Niecy Nash-Betts, Micaela Diamond and Courtney B. Vance attend FX’s Grotesquerie premiere at Spring Studios on Sept. 23, 2024 in New York City
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
After deciding to write him a part in the series, Murphy said he “instantly loved” Travis, adding: “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. He kept saying to me, ‘I’m real coachable. Coach me, coach me.’ So I did, and he ended up being a delight, and 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.”
Nash-Betts echoed that her scene partner was “very professional,” recently telling People, “He was very open on if there was a note given or a suggestion given. So amenable.”
Murphy and Travis’ co-stars celebrated the show’s premiere on Wednesday in New York City as the Chiefs star prepares to take on the Chargers on Sunday in Los Angeles.
