âAmerican Horror Storyâ: Lily Rabe to play Aileen Wuornos; Lady Gagaâs role revealed
Actresss Lily Rabe, left; serial killer Aileen Wuornos.
Every year Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk reboot their surreal, hot button-mashing horror TV series âAmerican Horror Story.â And each new season weâre left guessing what surreal character the usual cast of players will appear as. Fake Anne Frank? A possessed nun? What about real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos? Today at the Television Critics Assn. tour, Murphy and company finally revealed the new plot and characters who will populate their horror show.
Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Angela Bassett, Wes Bentley, Matt Bomer, ChloĂ« Sevigny, Denis OâHare, (newcomer) Cheyenne Jackson, and Finn Wittrock took the stage for FXâs panel prepped to divulge secrets for the new season. And due to the massive cast (the stage holds only a small portion of the players and didnât even include new additions Lady Gaga, Max Greenfield and âAmerican Horror Storyâ alum Lily Rabe), weâre breaking this panel into character-reveal quotes one by one.
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âHotelâ is set, well, in a hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Murphy confessed that he was inspired by a surveillance video from around two years ago that showed a woman entering a hotel and disappearing. And hereâs whoâs checking in.
Ryan Murphy on Lady Gagaâs character:
âHer characterâs name is Elizabeth, she owns the hotel. And she is sort of a very wealthy social doyenne who is consumed with art and fashion and people. And she has nefarious plans revealed in the first episode, and plays out over the course of the season. She starts shooting on Monday.â
Later on in the âscrumâ Murphy would add this about Lady Gagaâs character:
âEverybody who does the show has to start with something disturbing and awful right away. And I think the first two days [Lady Gaga] has a pretty spectacular murder scene to shoot with Matt Bomer. And Iâm glad that she has Matt. Because sheâs so great and theyâve all socialized⊠I canât say enough great things about her.â
Ryan Murphy on Max Greenfieldâs character:
Murphy was able to elaborate on the role Greenfield is playing, which he dyed his hair for. â[Greenfield] plays an addict who checks into the hotel and tangles with Sarah Paulson,â said Murphy. âAgain thatâs just from my love of Max.... I always just wanted to work with him. So I went with him, you know heâs been doing comedy. And I said, âI have a feeling that you can, and want to do, something really ... up.â And he said, âHow did you know?â So he cut off his beautiful hair, and dyed it, and then we had to let the roots grow in. I think heâs lost 30 pounds, which is odd because his wife is due to have a baby any day now. Sheâs nine monthsâ pregnant and heâs living on celery water, so sheâs not happy about that. And yesterday I talked to him. His waist is down to a 27, so heâs really committed to it and he looks amazing. Heâs super cool and he does incredibly, probably the most disturbing scene weâve ever done, heâs really at the center of. He really pushed himself as an actor, I was proud of him.â
Finn Wittrock:
âI play a male model named Tristan Duffy who is always looking for the next high. And I think he sort of finds the biggest high in Lady Gaga. And we have a lot to do together. She sees all of me.â
Cheyenne Jackson:
âIâm playing Will Drake, fashion icon. Heâs trying to creatively re-establish himself so he moves from New York to Los Angeles. A father⊠and a little desperate.
Denis OâHare:
âI play Liz Taylor, movie icon. Iâm not actually playing Elizabeth Taylor but Iâm playing a person who is inspired by the awesomeness of âButterfield Eightâ and âCleopatra,â and eye makeup like that. I shaved my head for the part, and other body parts. I work in the hotel. I work with Kathy. And I work in the bar, which is fantastic, itâs called Blue Parrot Lounge. Itâs an extraordinary part of our set. We even have our own, homemade coasters, that have the hotel Cortez emblem on them. Theyâre gorgeous, and Iâve already stolen two.
Chloë Sevigny:
âI play Alex Lowel, Iâm the wife of Wes Bentley, and a mother and a doctor. And Iâm dealing with a great loss that we had in our family, and coming to grips with that.â
Matt Bomer:
âI play Donovan, who is involved in the Hotel Cortez. Closely associated with Ms. Gaga and Ms. Bates, Mr. Wittrock, amongst others. He has very interesting relationships with the lady folk in his life.â
Wes Bentley:
âI play detective John Lowell, Iâm married to Alex ChloĂ«âs so we have a great loss in the family. Iâm investigating some grisly murders, which somehow leads me to checking into the hotel.
Angela Bassett:
âI play Ramona Royale and Iâm sexy as well, but not in a drug addicty kind of way. I have a very strong, real lasting relationship with Stephanieâs [Lady Gagaâs] character. So Iâm sure Iâll be at odds with you down there Donovan, who gets the girl? My character is also this fabulous actress. I donât live in the hotel. But I visit there a lot.â
Kathy Bates:
âI play Iris. Iâm also very, very sexy. What else? I run the hotel. I have relationships with Matt Bomer, and with Wes, and I canât stand you [Sarah Paulson]. I hate you. I donât know, yet, if I get to work with Angela, I hope I do. Liz Taylor and I have a very close relationship. And I do crossword puzzles in my spare time.â
Sarah Paulson:
âMy character this year is quite dark, sheâs sexy, sheâs a drug addict... Not that drug addicts are sexy. This girl happens to be quite sexy... not because Iâm sexy. I should just stop talking and be quiet. Sheâs unlike anything Iâve ever done in this show.â
Later on in the panel Paulson would continue: âI play Sally,â said Paulson. âI hate Iris in a rather ancient way for reasons that are revealed, quickly. I have a budding something with Wesâ character. Itâs sort of dark. Sorry [to Wes Bentley], you donât know this yet.â
And finally, Ryan Murphy on Lily Rabe:
A final bit of news. When asked what the big plans were for the annual âAmerican Horror Storyâ Halloween episode, Murphy confirmed that show alum Rabe would be joining them for the pivotal two-parter.
âWeâre doing a two-part, well, we always do a two-part Halloween episode, but our Halloween episode this year is called âDevilâs Night,ââ said Murphy. âIâm directing it because I love the script so much, when we finished it I said, âI canât give this to anybody else.â Lily Rabe is coming to that episode. And sheâs playing Aileen Wuornos, which is really fun and bizarre. I donât want to give too much away but I will tell you that sheâs at the centerpiece of that, and thatâs who sheâs playing.â
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And there you have it, or most of it. No doubt a parade of new, big-name cameos and characters will appear as the production moves forward. Surprise characters, gorgeous sets and the tackling of hot-topic issues are the things you can always count on in âAmerican Horror Storyâ canon. That and Jessica Lange, but sheâs gone now, hopefully to someday return after her hiatus from television.
The 13-episodes series will air beginning Oct. 7.
ALSO:
Emmy chat: Sarah Paulson of âAHSâ has a special moment with Lady Gaga
Full coverage: Television Crtitics Association press tour 2015
Video: Watch Lady Gaga tease âAmerican Horror Storyâ
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