How Travis Kelce's Debut Acting Role Came to Be

Travis Kelce has helped his team achieve an undefeated three-game (and counting) winning streak so far this season, but the Kansas City Chiefs star is getting ready to make a big splash in an entirely different ball game: Acting. 

Kelce is set to star in Ryan Murphy's new series Grotesquerie, premiering Sept. 25 on FX. When speaking at a press conference on Sept. 23 about the project, the Emmy-winning director divulged just how his role as a yet-to-be-revealed character came to be. 

"[He] said he was interested in getting into acting," Murphy recounted, per Deadline. "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.'"

Clearly Kelce didn't want to let his time off from the Chiefs go to waste. In this case, Murphy had to step into a job normally done by Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, as Kelce wanted help and advice through his whole first acting experience.  

“I directed the first episode he did with Niecy [Nash-Betts]. Niecy and I just instantly loved him and took him by the hand and let him know that he would not, could not fail," Murphy said. 

"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 continued. "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 [person]," he concluded. "Everything you think about him is true."

Grotesquerie premieres Sept. 25 on FX. The Chiefs' next game is against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 29.