Getty ImagesSchmidt, is that you?!
New Girl star Max Greenfield has truly transformed for his role on American Horror Story: Hotel, as revealed by AHS creator Ryan Murphy...and also Greenfield himself to anyone with eyes.
After the Horror Story panel during FX's summer press tour on Friday, Murphy was asked if Greenfield's new blond hair was for his role on the show.
"It is," Murphy confirmed. "He plays an addict who checks into the hotel and tangles with Sarah Paulson."
Murphy said he had always loved Greenfield—especially as Schmidt on New Girl—and had called the actor up to see if he was interested in something a little darker.
"I always just wanted to work with him, so I went to him even though he's always been doing comedy and said, 'I had a feeling you can and always wanted to do something really f--ked up.' He said, 'How did you know?''
Greenfield's hair is not the only thing that's going "f--ked up." He has also lost a ton of weight.
"He cut off his beautiful hair and dyed it and then we had to let the roots grow in," Murphy explained. "I think he's lost 30 pounds, which is odd because his wife is due to have a baby any day now, so she's nine months pregnant and he's living on celery water. So she's not happy about that, and yesterday I talked to him and his waist is down to I think a 27. So he's really committed to it, and he looks amazing."
Committed is right!
As revealed during the panel, Hotel will deal with addiction, which Murphy described as an "American horror." Paulson's character is a "sexy" drug addict named Hypodermic Sally, who ends up in a sort of rivalry with Kathy Bates' hotel manager Iris.
Not much else is known about Greenfield's character, except for one particularly daunting tidbit.
"He does, incredibly, probably the most disturbing scene we've ever done," Murphy said. "He really pushed himself as an actor. I was proud of him."
The idea of not yet having seen the most disturbing scene AHS has ever done, and of Schmidt participating in it, is giving us a mild panic attack already, in the best way possible.
While it's unclear whether Greenfield's new look will affect Schmidt this season of New Girl, especially given the fact that the first five episodes have already been filmed in advance of Zooey Deshcanel going on maternity leave, the weight loss could always be played off as stress-related, since he's about to get married to Cece (Hannah Simone). He will be the bridezilla, after all.
New Girl will return in January on Fox and American Horror Story: Hotel will premiere Oct. 7 on FX.