Netflix just dropped Monster: The Ed Gein Story. All episodes of the third season of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s hit true crime anthology series were released on October 3, 2025. Actress Vicky Krieps portrayed a real-life Nazi who appeared in Monster season 3 in a very creative way.
Krieps debuted in the show as Ilse Koch, the main character in a comic book titled “The B**** of Buchenwald”. Gein (Charlie Hunnam) saw the comic after his girlfriend, Adeline Watkins (Suzanna Son), introduced it to him. The book was about the gruesome crimes committed by Koch during the Nazi war.
Koch’s behavior and cruel acts were very similar to Gein’s heinous crimes. She skinned Jewish people and created items with them, such as lampshades, much like what the Wisconsin-based serial killer did decades later.
Krieps, like any other actor, found this role incredibly disturbing, especially since her family has had a painful history with the Holocaust. She told Variety that her grandpa was in a concentration camp in real life, so taking part in the series under those circumstances made it all the worse.
I wasn’t ready to play such a role, because my grandfather was in a concentration camp. This part of history is very close to me and my family, and so I was very worried to do that on TV, whether it would be done respectfully. It scared me: What would happen to me if I would revisit this?
Playing such a horrible, disgusting person is already difficult enough. Having to play one as someone whose family suffered so much during that time period made it even harder on a completely different level. Krieps obviously wouldn’t have taken on the role if things were not handled properly or disrespectfully.
Vicky Krieps’ Thorough Research
The actor stated that while she was hesitant, Murphy explained Koch’s purpose in the storyline and ultimately convinced her to take on the character. Having done research on the Holocaust since she was a child, Krieps was prepared for the role after she accepted. “I had read all the books on the Holocaust that you can find,” she explained.
What helped me was knowing that it’s based on a comic character, and therefore Ed Gein’s fantasy of her is through the comic. That was freeing to me, and why I felt I can do this, because this is actually clearer, portraying someone who’s larger than life. To me, she was like a mix of an old Hollywood star and a ’50s housewife who wants to be perfect. Because she wants to be so perfect, she doesn’t realize that what she’s doing is going over dead bodies.
Understandably, it was more difficult to do research on Koch. Krieps stated that it was more of an emotional journey because she had to tap into the mind of a violent criminal.
My research was more, “How do I embrace being the actress who’s just portraying a fantasy, a comic?” And then obviously knowing how her story ends made me feel like we have something here. We never saw Hitler or any of them really realize what they’ve done. It’s not like she really understands and there’s real remorse, but there’s definitely something, and it goes into becoming crazy.
Our Take On Monster: The Ed Gein Story’s Other Villain
Krieps accepting the role in Monster: The Ed Gein Story and the effort she put into it is very brave. Actors get judged enough these days solely for the projects they take on. And, it wouldn’t be surprising if she faces backlash that she doesn’t deserve, even in the slightest.
Playing such a controversial character who brings back horrible memories for her family is a double-edged sword. Her courage to do something like this is incredibly admirable and shows her dedication to her work.
