Michael Yarish/FXNow that we know who Bloody Face is on American Horror Story: Asylum (Zachary Quinto, say it ain't so!), it's time we now turn our attention to his latest victim: Lana Winters.
We hopped on the phone with Sarah Paulson, the woman who has fallen into the hands of the serial killer, to pick her brain about Bloody Face's identity, Lana's bad luck and what's coming up for our reporter in captivity.
Lana cannot catch a break! Can you talk a bit about how you reacted when you found out the identity of Bloody Face and your role in it?
Sarah Paulson: Oh, and it gets worse, trust me. It was revealed to me who Bloody Face was back in July. But I didn't know and it was never told to me that I was going to be the person that Bloody Face was f--king with, for lack of a better term [Laughs]. I was sort of shocked and also excited because I thought it meant that I was going to have some good American Horror Story-style drama to do. But I was also a little scared because I thought, Oh god, what does that mean? How are they doing to do it? What's going to happen? Will I ever come back to Briarcliff? There's a great mystery there. And I was also very excited to work with my pal, because we are such good friends.
It kind of broke our hearts, because not only have we've all been rooting for Lana to escape, but we so wanted to Zachary Quinto to be a hero.
Yeah, not gonna happen, sister!
But then we got over it, because once he turned into his Bloody Face character, he was so creepy and so good. What are fans going to get from those two in the next episode?
Well, get ready. The stuff that he does in episode six is so freakin' amazing. In the next episode, it's going to be clear why Lana was chosen. And that maybe it wasn't a random act. You'll be able to look back at all the episodes, once episode six happens, and you'll see how brilliantly they weaved things in for his character and you'll go, 'Oh, that's why he did that!' It'll be very exciting to piece all those clues together that were there. And [Quinto] played it so brilliantly. There was always something slightly [off] but then you went, 'No, but he's so gentle and good and he wants what's right ultimately.' And it's like, no, he doesn't. He wants to cut you up into a million bits and pieces.
You are intertwined in a lot of storylines, almost as if we are visiting the asylum through Lana's eyes. Are there any other mysteries on the show that you are excited to see play out besides your own?
Yes. Yes, very much so. [Laughs]. I can't tell you anything more! Just be patient. It's all going to come out. That's the good news about this show. You won't walk away going, 'Now wait, what happened?' It's all going to be revealed. Be patient.
You've had to really push the boundaries this season. Is there a scene coming up that you think will shock viewers even more?
Yes! Oh my god. So far I think the line of the season has been: "Show me your mossy bank," right? OK, there's a line coming in episode six between me and Bloody Face, and you'll know what it is, I predict that it will be the new line of the season. It will top "mossy bank." I know it will.
One of the most disturbing scenes we've ever seen on TV was last week's conversion therapy session with Lana and Dr. Thredson. Can you talk a bit about what it was like filming that scene?
I remember reading it for the first time and thinking: Oh my god, I'm going to have to put my hands in my pants. This is going to be really hard. But I thought the scene was so well written. And I knew I was going to be doing the scene with Zach, and he's my friend, and we just kind of looked at each other and silently said with our eyes: 'Let's do it. Let's do this sucker.' And we were both excited because we knew it had the potential to be very powerful, and so we both just really went for it. And I do think part of why it works is that Zach and I are good friends because there was an incredible amount of mutual trust and respect between us that I felt incredibly safe with him. So there was something very horrible about it and something very wonderful about it.
Without giving too much away, how would you like Lana's story to end?
I would like to see Lana see the sun. That's all. I'd like for her to be able to be in the sunshine somewhere alive. I'd like for Lana to be alive and not be trapped in a dark, soulless place. I mean it literally. I'd like her to feel the sun on her face, because that signifies hope and I think things are looking very bleak for her right now. I feel more protective feelings about this character than any other character I've ever played, and I'm sure it has to do with the fact that I've never played someone who was in such dire and extreme circumstances. But I really feel protective toward her and I want her to survive this thing. I just don't know that she will.