Very few people emerged from the Aaron Hernandez saga looking well. That’s the case for Shayanna Jenkins, the late Hernandez’s fianceé who came under a great deal of media scrutiny for her role in the football star’s first murder trial. Going into “American Sports Story,” star Jaylen Barron knew she signed up for a difficult rolw, which is precisely why she was careful to always bring “empathy” to her version of Shayanna.

“I feel like she was villainized in the media, and a lot of people came at her without even understanding what was going on,” Barron told TheWrap during the Television Critics Association’s 2024 summer tour. “I have so much love for her and respect for her. I feel like I fell in love with this character, and I’m so protective of her … I think [this role] will bring a lot of light to what women go through whose partners are incarcerated.”

The real Jenkins’ testimony was crucial to Hernandez’s murder trial, which revolved around the murder of Odin Lloyd. The day after Lloyd’s death — the man her sister was dating at the time — Hernandez asked Jenkins to throw away a box. She did so without looking at what was inside, a moment featured in Episode 8 of the FX series. Prosecutors later said they believed that box contained the murder weapon. Initially, Jenkins denied that anyone asked her to remove the object before she changed her story. Over the years, Jenkins has maintained Hernandez’s innocence and has even disputed the story that he died by suicide.

Barron told TheWrap that Episode 9, which airs Nov. 5, as an important one for Shayanna.

“It shows the aftermath of what happens when [Aaron] goes to prison, and then the aftermath of dealing with her sister. That’s when we really get to see the arc and the pivotal moments of who Shayanna is,” Barron said. “I feel like that will bring a lot of empathy towards the real Shayanna.”

To prepare for her role on the FX series, Barron did “tons” of research into the character she was playing, studying everything from “American Gladiator,” the podcast the series is based on, to Jenkins’ appearance on “Dr. Phil.” Largely, she based her interpretation of the character around how Shayanna saw Aaron. That meant constantly checking with the script as well as series developer and executive producer Stu Zicherman about what exactly Shayanna knew and what she was feeling about Aaron in each moment. That sometimes meant having to change her performance mid-scene to stay in line with Josh Andrés Rivera’s interpretation of the football star.

“I’m like, ‘OK, I’m going to do it this way’, and I’m rehearsing. But then I get to set, and I’m noticing Josh’s energy, and I’m like, ‘No, I have to perform this in a completely different way,’” Barron said. “Honestly, it was all on the spot for me.”

Barron emphasized that Rivera was an “amazing” collaborator. “He’s such a good friend and such a kind person that it wasn’t difficult for me to be a little bit more vulnerable around him, especially when we would have those intimate scenes,” she said. “Also, he’s an amazing actor, and he gave me so much to work with that he made me want to go harder and do my best.”

But no matter how much research she did or how much time she spent in the mind of this character, Barron emphasized that “we don’t know” what the real Shayanna Jenkins experienced.

“These are real people with real feelings, and I want to make sure that I always portray my characters in such a genuine way that the audience will be able to tell if you’re being phony,” Barron said. “Everything that I did was from my heart.”

“American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m ET/PT on FX and streams the next day on Hulu and Disney+.