Sarah Paulson talks American Horror Story: Apocalypse & multiple characters

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

American Horror Story has slowly been weaving together their many characters and terrifying stories over the course of the past seven seasons, but American Horror Story: Apocalypse will be their biggest cross-over yet as it will be bringing together characters and events from both Murder House (season 1) and Coven (season 3). American Horror Story veteran Sarah Paulson will once again be returning for Apocalypse, where she will be playing not one, but three characters: Murder House's Billie Dean Howard, Coven's Cordelia Goode, and a new character, Wilhemina Venable, who runs a mysterious outpost harbouring survivors of the Apocalypse.

Sarah Paulson spoke with THR about the new season of the long-running series and what it was like to play three characters this time around. "It makes me excited that I get to go visit an old friend," Paulson said.

I shot two of the characters that I'm playing on the same day. Although they are not interacting with one another, I shot one in the morning and a different character in the evening. And I didn’t say no to him on that. (Laughs.) When I was doing Sally in Hotel, I was also doing Marcia Clark at the same time — but they were on two different shows and two different sets. That was enough of an out-of-body experience on its own, but I have yet to go between characters on American Horror Story in the same day and I am doing that this year. I had played Billie Dean Howard and Sally in the same episode in Hotel, but we didn’t shoot that in the same day. So this is the first morning where I started as one character and ended the day on another one.

Sarah Paulson added that the entire ten-episode season of American Horror Story: Apocalypse will be like an all-star special. "Like The Love Boat with all the favorite guest stars ever," Paulson laughed. "Where you open the door and you’re like, “Oh my god, there’s so and so!” It’s almost like a greatest hits album or something." As far as her future with American Horror Story, Paulson plans to stick around for as long as she can.

I’ve made the joke before that I want to be doing this show until I’m 95. That they’re going to have to drag me out of there kicking and screaming. That being said, I have no idea what Ryan’s plans are for me. It’s tantamount to me walking in and saying, "Do you want me to go left or right?" and then whatever he says, I will just go there. (Laughs.) So I don’t know what his plans are for me as it pertains to Horror Story, but there will be crawl marks on the walls from them trying to drag me out if they ever ask me to go.

In addition to Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Apocalypse also stars Evan Peters, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Jessica Lange, Taissa Farmiga, Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott, Joan Collins, Frances Conroy, and more! Toss in a handful of ghosts, witches, and possible Antichrist Michael Langdon (Cody Fern), who we last saw as a child at the end of Murder House, and you've got the makings of something quite bizarre. American Horror Story: Apocalypse will debut tonight on FX.