Igby Rigney is the new face leading Ryan Murphy‘s latest FX thriller, The Shards. The 26-year-old actor takes on the challenging role of playing a fictionalized version of author Bret Easton Ellis during his high school years in 1980s Los Angeles. The series, which premiered on August 5, 2026, on FX and Hulu, has already generated significant buzz.
Rigney, who previously appeared in Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass and The Fall of the House of Usher, now headlines his first major project. In a recent interview, he shared details about his journey landing the role, the intense party scene that required the cast to go “on a real bender,” and the active group chat that keeps everyone connected.
The Audition Process That Landed Igby Rigney the Lead Role
Rigney‘s path to playing Bret Easton Ellis started with a traditional in-person audition. He received the sides in his inbox and was asked to come to a studio in Los Angeles for the initial read. “That’s very special, because so many times you don’t even get into the room with people until chemistry reads,” Rigney told Variety.
The casting process was extensive. Ryan Murphy revealed that about 500 actors auditioned for roles in The Shards. Rigney‘s first callback took him to New York, where he met future co-stars Graham Campbell and Hayes Warner. During that meeting, Murphy asked a crucial question: “Have you read the book?”
Rigney admitted he hadn‘t. “I was so enamored by the sides he’d written, and I knew this was ultimately going to be an adaptation, so I wanted to focus on the material at hand for the audition,” he explained. Murphy‘s response was clear: “Great, that was awesome. I’d love to see you again, but go read the book. You must read the book before I see you next.”
Rigney immediately listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Bret Easton Ellis himself. He returned for chemistry reads with Graham Campbell and Homer Gere, who plays the mysterious new student Robert Mallory. Murphy approached the process like an acting class rather than a typical audition. “It wasn’t, ‘Are you good enough to play this part?’ It was more, ‘Let’s play around, figure this out, and see how all of this feels,’” Rigney recalled.
Never Meeting the Real Bret Easton Ellis
Despite playing a version of the famous author, Rigney has never met Bret Easton Ellis in person. Ellis co-wrote the first two episodes with Murphy but took a step back afterward, taking what has been described as a “godfather-y approach” to the nine-episode adaptation.
“Bret has been involved with the crafting of the character, but he’s been working with Ryan primarily. I’ve never gotten to meet him,” Rigney told Variety.
When asked if meeting Ellis would have been helpful, Rigney remained uncertain. “I don’t know, just because I haven’t had that interaction,” he said. He explained that focusing on the scripts and leaning on Murphy’s vision provided clarity. “I didn’t have access to Bret and I don’t have access to whatever information I could have potentially learned from that, so I could just let that piece go and really focus on what Ryan was giving us on the day,” Rigney added.
Despite the distance, Rigney has heard that Ellis is enjoying his portrayal of the 17-year-old protagonist. Playing both a real person and a fictional character presented a unique challenge. Rigney noted how the book uses the phrase “I remember” as a motif. “It’s almost like a motif in the text. I remember this, and I remember that. It’s all in retrospect, which is interesting to play. There’s a potential unreliable narrator element to it,” he explained.
Shooting the Wild Party Scene: “A Real Bender”
Episode four, titled “Robert’s Party,” features a chaotic Halloween party at a Hollywood Hills mansion belonging to Kaia Gerber’s character Susan Reynolds’ father. The scene pushed the cast to their limits.
Rigney described the shoot as the cast going “on a real bender”. The party sequence involves multiple main characters caught in a near-attack by a local cult leader, and Robert ends up needing resuscitation after throwing himself into the pool following an intense dance number.
Homer Gere rehearsed the dance “at least 100 times,” according to Rigney. The performance left a lasting impact on the cast. “There is definitely a pre-dance Homer and post-dance Homer — like his whole personality has changed since doing that in front of everyone,” Rigney said.
The party scene represents a turning point in the series, bringing Bret and Robert to their most antagonistic moment yet. Bret, who sent Robert drinking after telling him about rumors that he may have killed his mother, watches as events spiral out of control.
The Cast‘s Active Group Chat
Off-screen, the cast of The Shards stays connected through an active group chat. Rigney mentioned that the cast members, including Kaia Gerber, Homer Gere, Hayes Warner, and Graham Campbell, maintain regular communication. The group chat has become a way for the young cast to bond and share their experiences throughout the press tour and beyond.
The cast‘s chemistry extends beyond the chat. Rigney and his co-stars traveled together for the global press tour, which took them to New York, London, and Berlin. Rigney was home in Los Angeles the day before the premiere, resting with his cat Plusha, who made an appearance during his Zoom interview with Variety.
A Breakout Performance in a Complex Role
Critics have taken notice of Rigney‘s performance. Reviews describe him as “terrific” and note that he carries much of the emotional weight with “remarkable restraint”. His Bret spends most of the series observing rather than reacting, creating an unreliable narrator dynamic that keeps viewers guessing.
Rigney approaches the role with a deep understanding of the material. He chain-smokes chamomile cigarettes on set, though he warns, “I would not recommend anybody picking up that particular habit”. The series, set in a recreated 1981 Los Angeles, follows Bret navigating teenage social politics, drug-fueled excess, and his closeted homosexuality while a serial killer stalks the Valley.
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What to Expect From The Shards
The Shards premiered with its first two episodes on August 5 on FX and Hulu at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. The series also became available on Disney+ internationally on August 6.
The show marks a collaboration between Ryan Murphy and Bret Easton Ellis, based on Ellis‘ 2023 autofiction novel. Murphy and Ellis plan to turn the adaptation into a multi-year series, with new storylines and characters added to extend the show beyond the source material.
Rigney acknowledged that the series deviates from the book‘s ending. “Obviously, the book has a very specific ending, but we’re deviating from the source material a little bit in bringing it to the screen,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. By the end of season one, “people are going to be very split between the characters of Bret and Robert,” Rigney said. “We do get to a point of picking sides.”
The cast includes Kaia Gerber as Susan, Homer Gere as Robert, Hayes Warner as Debbie, Graham Campbell as Thom, along with Evan Rachel Wood and Wes Bentley.
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