Sarah Paulson Says Her Relationship With American Horror Story's Ryan Murphy Is Like A 'Creative Marriage'
Ryan Murphy has had quite the prolific career. As a TV writer, producer, and director, he has been involved in several television programs with established cultural significance, including "Glee," "American Horror Story," "Pose," and most recently, " Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story." He's won six Primetime Emmys, and for his contributions to television, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association awarded Murphy the honorary Carol Burnett Award in 2023.
Murphy is also known for the juicy and compelling roles he writes for women. One actress who has benefited from Murphy's prolific nature is Sarah Paulson, who has notably starred in many of his projects. One can trace their relationship back to Murphy's earlier days on FX drama "Nip/Tuck," but Paulson's first prominent role in one of Murphy's projects was on "American Horror Story," where she played a new main character with each anthological season. And of course, Paulson went on to win the Emmy for her role as Marcia Clark in Murphy's other anthology series, "American Crime Story."
The two have always had nothing but great things to say about one another, with Paulson even crediting Murphy with helping her find her confidence as an actor (via Elle). Murphy similarly remarked, "Like me, I think Sarah felt, growing up, that she was a stranger in a strange land and that she didn't have a lot of support."
It thus comes as no surprise that Paulson would describe their union as an incredibly close partnership.
Sarah Paulson finds it difficult to describe why she and Ryan Murphy share the special bond that they do
In an interview with The Guardian coinciding with the release of the Ryan Murphy-produced Netflix series "Ratched," Paulson discussed their relationship, describing it as "the creative marriage of my life." According to Paulson, Murphy even discusses ideas with her before his own husband.
She finds their partnership hard to explain, and difficult to say why they have the deep bond that they do. Paulson even elaborated that Murphy finds it difficult to break down as well. "I do think we have some things in common. We were both sort of different [as kids]. We were, I think, both 'big feeling' kind of people," she said. Speaking about her award-winning role as Marcia Clark, who was the lead prosecutor in O.J. Simpson's murder trial, Paulson said, "A lot of women wanted the Marcia Clark part. I don't know why he thought it should be me. Sometimes I think it's a good thing to not try to understand every gift you're given, because it could really come down to just, you know, 'I couldn't think of another actor I wanted to be on a set with."
Perhaps Murphy is always providing Paulson with her next challenge. When talking about her role in "Ratched," she said she accepted the part because it scared her. "It is so odd for someone like me, because I am such a nervous kind of person...and I think if I feel terrified to do it, I almost feel compelled, that I don't have a choice," she explained.