Exclusive: Cooper Koch on <i>Monsters</i>, Fame, and Stripping Down for Calvin Klein

In the span of less than a year, Cooper Koch has done more than most people do in a lifetime. He skyrocketed from his side-hustle gigs of a yoga instructor and ice cream scooper and directly into the spotlight when he played Erik Menendez in Ryan Murphy’s Monsters last fall, earned a Golden Globe nomination for it, and now, he’s starring in Calvin Klein’s newest campaign.

When we connect over the phone in early May, Koch is traveling from the gym to a haircut in L.A. If you’ve only ever seen him as the infamous Menendez brother in Murphy’s drama-packed TV series, you might be surprised at how sweet and easy-going Koch is off-camera; throughout our conversation, he brings up his family often, and expresses his gratitude continuously.

“We all have moments where we feel like we’re not good enough,” he says. “You can take yourself down into the spiral, but if you can just look at yourself in the mirror and say that you love yourself and be kind, then I think that makes a huge difference and allows you to be in front of the camera, or just out in the world and feel good about yourself. I would say positive self talk [gives me confidence], which comes from a lot of therapy.”

For Calvin Klein, Koch is bringing the summer heat. He’s sweaty and statuesque in the brand’s staples, half-reclined in baggy jeans and an undone denim shirt or standing tall in briefs and a white tank. It’s quintessentially CK—cool, sensual, classic—with Koch’s warmth and charisma sprinkled throughout.

Below, Koch dives into shooting his debut campaign for the brand, the ‘80s style inspiration he took from Monsters, and how he’s adjusting to his brand-new life in the limelight. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

ESQUIRE: I want to congratulate you on your debut campaign for Calvin Klein, it’s amazing. What was your experience like shooting it?

COOPER KOCH: It was really, really fun. And it was really exhausting. I had a trainer who was there, who had me lifting weights and doing push-ups and working out the entire day to stay pumped-up and stuff. I’d never really had that experience before, so I was tired by the end of the day, but ultimately it was so, so fun. The sets were amazing. Mert Alas, the photographer, was so collaborative and had such great ideas, and we had so many laughs, and I just felt so grateful to be there the whole time.

What keeps you motivated throughout a shoot?

Well, they were playing Madonna the whole time, which was awesome. There was great music. And then at a certain point, there was water that came into play, so then all of a sudden I was soaking wet, which woke me up. That was really fun. It was just constantly changing environments and changing set-ups, and they let me look at some of the photos too as we were going, so that kept me excited to try new stuff.

What do you reach for in your wardrobe on a daily basis?

You know, to be really honest with you, I am such a sweatpants and hoodie guy. I don’t ever really go too crazy, but if I have to go out to dinner, or if I want to put actual pants on, I’ll do jeans and a sweater and maybe Vans or something. But I’m a pretty casual guy, I don’t go crazy.

Did you get any ‘80s inspo from dong Monsters?

I did. I still have a pair of jeans that I wear all the time, that were a pair I wore in the show.

Tell me about these jeans.

They honestly make my butt look really good. I think that’s an ‘80s thing, everyone’s butts looked great.

Who are your style icons?

My little brother is my style icon. Walker. He always goes to estate sales and comes back with all of this really cool vintage stuff, whether they’re old, baggy jeans or cool sweaters or jackets or vintage T-shirts. He always has stuff that I’m stealing from him.

Do you have any styling tips you swear by?

I don’t have any rules or anything, but I think the one thing I would say is if you look in the mirror and you feel good about what you see and you love it and feel comfortable, then that’s all that matters.

Since Monsters came out, your life has changed dramatically. You were a yoga instructor and worked in an ice cream shop. Now you’re starring in a Calvin Klein campaign. What's that like?

It’s intense, and it did happen so quickly. It wasn’t like this gradual build-up, like, I got this role, and then I did this one, and it built up. It all happened really quickly, and it’s stressful. Other people’s perception of you can sometimes affect your own perception of yourself, which has been a difficult journey. I think I’m still trying to navigate that, and I’m still adjusting to the newness of my life now.

But I have such great people around me. I’m really close with my family, I have an amazing partner, my team is really supportive, and so I have a lot of great people to lean on. It’s a big adjustment, but ultimately, I’ve had so many great experiences. I’ve met so many amazing people, new friends, and I’m so grateful for everything that’s happened. I look forward to the next thing.

Speaking of the next thing—what does the future hold for you?

I wish I could look into a crystal ball and have it tell me what’s coming next, but I don’t know. I’m so eager to find out what it is, but I’m having so many great meetings with directors and producers, and reading a ton of stuff, and auditioning and just waiting to see what will click.