Sarah Paulson does not care about one American Horror Story season in particular.
The actress, who’s been with the acclaimed horror anthology series since it premiered in 2011, told The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast on Monday that she was “underwhelmed” by the sixth season, Roanoke, which has proven to be one of the most polarizing instalments amongst fans.
“I just don’t care about this season at all,” admitted Sarah. “I know people will get mad at me for saying it, but for me, this was post having played Marcia [Clark in American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson] and it was what I went to do right after finishing Marcia.”
Roanoke revisited the slower and subdued pace of the show’s earlier seasons, and was presented as a paranormal documentary series titled My Roanoke Nightmare.
It told the story of a married couple (played by Sarah and Cuba Gooding Jr.) who experience spooky disturbances in their North Californian home. The second half depicted the production of the documentary’s sequel.
Roanoke also starred Kathy Bates, Lily Rabe, Andre Holland, Denis O’Hare, Wes Bentley, Evan Peters, Cheyenne Jackson, Angela Bassett, Lady Gaga, Frances Conroy, Finn Wittrock, Adina Porter and Leslie Jordan.
Although it received mixed reviews from fans, it was met with praise from critics.
“I was so underwhelmed by the whole experience because I felt like I had entered into a new place inside of myself in terms of what I thought possible, in terms of what I might be willing to see if I can do,” said Sarah.
“I felt really kind of trapped by my responsibility and my contractual obligation to do American Horror Story. As much as it’s my home and I’ve loved it always, it was the first time I felt like I wish I could have gone to Ryan and said, ‘Please let me sit this one out. You know, let me out.’”
Sarah said she was happy to return for the following season, Cult, which explored the aftermath of Donald Trump’s presidential election and the rise of a cult headed by Kai Anderson, a deranged, blue-haired lunatic portrayed by Peters.
“But Roanoke, I kinda went kicking and screaming,” added Sarah. “I’m gonna get a call from Ryan like, ‘Why are you saying that?'”
Following Cult and eighth season Apocalypse, which saw the Emmy winner reprise her beloved role as Cordelia Goode from Coven, Sarah was permitted to leave the series by Murphy so that she could film the Hulu mini-series Mrs. America.
“Ryan has done [me a solid] more times than I can count,” said the Ratched star. “He’s very, very generous that way.”
Sarah will make her American Horror Story comeback with the long-awaited 10th season of the series, titled Double Feature, which will be split into two parts (according to Murphy).
Double Feature will also see the return of fan-favourite stars such as Frances Conroy, Leslie Grossman, Billie Lourd, Evan Peters, Adina Porter, Lily Rabe, Angelica Ross, Finn Wittrock and Denis O’Hare.
Newcomers include Macaulay Culkin, Paris Jackson, Kaia Gerber, Ryan Kiera Armstrong and Drag Race All Stars 1 winner Chad Michaels.
Not much is known about the season, but previously released photos have shown Grossman and Culkin on a beach in Provincetown – one of the top vacation spots in the US for the gays – and some gnarly looking creatures as they stomp down a dark street.
Ross, best known for her role as Candy Ferocity in Murphy’s critically-acclaimed LGBTQ+ drama Pose, described Double Feature as a “bloodbath” in an interview with Kalen Allen for The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
“Listen this new season is just incredible,” she gushed.
“I already started working with Frances Conroy. The OG fans of American Horror Story are going to be thrilled. Because it got Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Finn Wittrock all of the OG’s there, but then there’s… it’s just going to be a bloodbath.
“It’s going to be a bloodbath. I don’t know if I can watch because it’s hard for me to watch scary movies so I’m going to be covering my eyes.”
American Horror Story: Double Feature will premiere 25 August on FX, the same date as its spin-off series, American Horror Stories, comes to an end. For more information on the latter, visit here.
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