FXSarah Paulson is still pulling double duty...but this time, she's got two bodies.
After playing conjoined twins Bette and Dot last season on American Horror Story: Freak Show, the Emmy-nominated actress is currently splitting her time right now shooting American Horror Story: Hotel and American Crime Story: The People V OJ Simpson. In fact, Paulson barely had much time to celebrate her Emmy nomination, announced this morning for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie.
E! News caught Paulson during her quick five minute break on set to congratulate her on the Emmy recognition for playing two different roles at the same time, as well as attempt to get as much scoop on AHS: Hotel as possible.
E! News: First of all, major congrats are in order, both for the Emmy nod this morning and for all your incredible work playing two roles at the same time last season.
Sarah Paulson: Thank you! It's pretty exciting. It's definitely prepared me for what I'm doing right now which is playing Marcia Clark and Sally Hypodermic on two different shows. I've had a really good warm-up on how to split my focus.
How did you find out about your nomination?
I found out about it because I got a phone call from my publicist, and of course the phone rang and I picked it up, and there was nothing on the end of the line. And nobody called me back for five minutes! So I thought it was a wrong number. I was like, "Oh, I guess it didn't happen!" And then she called back and it was all great.
What went through your mind when you found out you were nominated?
I felt wildly happy for Bette and Dot, the characters themselves. It was just knowing how much work went into making the effect look right and how much work went into it from a costume standpoint, a cinematography standpoint, an acting standpoint, a writing standpoint, to make sure the girls had different ways of expressing themselves and it was a big collaborative process. The first thing that ran through my mind was that I feel so proud to have been a part of it and to do something that had not really been done before on television in this kind of way. And then I thought of our amazing crew and all the tireless hours spent making sure this looked right and real.
If you could pick just one scene to show Emmy voters from last season, what would you pick?
I would pick the scene between Bette and Dot, just the two of them, when Bette is basically offering her life to Dot, saying, "I want to have the surgery to be separated so you can have the life you want." And Bette says selflessly, "All I ever wanted was to be with you, and I like being with you, and if you don't want that, you want something more, let's have the surgery. I'll sacrifice myself." I thought it was a very beautifully written scene, it was so emotional and so difficult to shoot. When I'm doing a scene with the twins and no one else is there, I'm acting completely alone, by myself, with nothing to look at, nobody to respond with or to, I'm listening to the sound of my own voice, the lines I recorded as the other character, and it was a very lonely experience. It's much more exciting when you have others to engage with. Being able to look into someone's eyes and hear their voice and see the expressions that flicker across their face when you're playing a scene, I had none of that. I had to use my imagination and so when I saw the final product, I felt it was something to be proud of. Everything that went into it, I felt such a sense of accomplishment.
And you're in great company, since so many of your costars were also nominated this morning. Have you spoken with any of them yet?
Kathy [Bates] and I texted one another, Finn [Wittrock] and I were texting one another and Denis [O'Hare] and I were texting one another this morning. I haven't spoken to Jessica [Lange] yet or Angela [Bassett] yet.
Do you have any plans for the night of the Emmys now that you know you'll be at the ceremony?
I'm going to try and find Emma Thompson and try to kidnap her. [Laughs.]
Now that we know a little bit more about next season of American Horror Story, is there anything you can tell us about your character Hypodermic Sally?
I wish I could! But the name is a clue, and it probably means what you think it means. But it's American Horror Story, so anything is possible.
We at least know that she's going to be a villain...what are you most excited to portray as a villain?
I'm looking forward to stealing as many of Jessica Lange's acting styles and ways so I can just make sure that I've got all the perfectly delicious, villainous attributes that she was able to do. And then infusing it with such emotion and power and all that. I'm hoping to just reflect on all my time of getting to act with her and just steal as much of it as I possibly can and pass it off as my own.