Lizzie Borden star Ella Beatty addresses why Ryan Murphy's Monsters series portrayed her character as a lesbian

Ella Beatty, who stars as Lizzie Borden in Ryan Murphy's new Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, has opened up about her character's portrayal.

The show hit Netflix last week (17 September) and, since then, true crime fanatics have rushed to rattle through all eight episodes.

The TV series in question, which also stars Sarah Paulson, Charlie Hunnam and Billie Lourd, is a loose interpretation of the 1892 axe murders murder of Lizzie's father and stepmother, Andrew and Abby.

It follows the repressed daughter of a wealthy New England family and her rebellious maid, Bridget 'Maggie' Sullivan, played by Vicky Krieps, who find themselves trapped in a house built on humiliation and cruelty.

Now, in Monster, Lizzie is depicted as engaging in a romantic relationship with Maggie despite there not being concrete evidence that this ever actually happened.

Historians have long debated whether Lizzie was queer, as she never married or had significant relationships with men.

As we say, there is no historical evidence that she had a romantic relationship with Bridget, so that storyline in Monster appears to have been invented for the series.

However, Lizzie’s close relationship with actress Nance O’Neil did lead to speculation, but there is no definitive evidence that she was lesbian or bisexual.

One X user asked: "Did she really have a lesbian relationship with her maid?"

A second chimed in: "Can somebody explain to me why they made Lizzie Borden a lesbian in the Netflix show??? Cause, as far as I know, that is not actually the case."

"History: There was no real evidence Lizzie Borden was a lesbian," wrote a third. "Netflix: Makes an entire series about her that hinges on a lesbian relationship."

Ella Beatty stars as Lizzie Borden and Vicky Krieps plays Bridget 'Maggie' Sullivan in the new Monster series (Netflix)

Another questioned: "Why are people today obsessed with making Lizzie Borden into a lesbian?"

And a final X user added: "Pls why did they make the Lizzie Borden season lesbian maid fantasy... I was looking forward to this season, but like c'mon, man."

Beatty addressed the matter in a recent interview with GO Magazine, explaining: "I think Bridget is a person who is completely unconfined by the societal rigid standards and oppressive weight that Lizzie has been so familiar with, and she’s someone, more than anything, who treats her with a kind of soft touch.

Beatty has since addressed the lesbian storyline in the show (Netflix)

"That can be such a transformative experience to be really loved and really seen. It can really change you."

The actress continued: "Self-discovery, whatever that means for all of us, can really re-organise the chemicals of our brain and body and spirit. And I think Bridget, Maggie, Vicky’s character, changes her entire worldview and scope of her own life.

"Her coming into herself as a woman and as a sexual person and as a person in the world, frankly, is complicated, and rage is a big part of it."

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is currently available to stream on Netflix.