The Actor In AHS: Apocalypse Who Had To Learn Lines In Two Days
"Apocalypse," the eighth season of "American Horror Story," is one of the most controversial to date, and for good reason. Even though it was a solid season that bridged seemingly disparate stories — confirming once and for all the anthology features an overarching "American Horror Story" timeline — the season was the result of many head-scratching ideas. Several story beats, plot twists, and resolutions are downright questionable. The "AHS: Apocalypse" finale enraged audiences because it seemed divorced from the season's established canon, while the controversial portrayals of certain characters won the season many detractors. But, one of the craziest ideas and decisions in the season didn't happen on-screen but on-set: one actor was given a scant two days to learn their lines.
Why would an actor be handed 48 hours to get into character and learn their dialogue? If they were a bit player with few lines, that would make sense, but this actor was the star of the season.
Cody Fern as Michael Langdon, aka the Antichrist, only had two days' notice
"American Horror Story: Murder House" sowed the seeds for "Apocalypse" when Vivien (Connie Britton) gave birth to Michael Langdon (Cody Fern). The child's biological father might have been Tate Langdon (Evan Peters), but his spiritual father was Satan, so he was destined to be the Antichrist and antagonist of "Apocalypse." Michael was also destined to be played by Cody Fern (Duncan Shepherd in "House of Cards"), but Fern didn't know until it was almost too late.
According to E! News, Fern accepted his role in "Apocalypse" before he even knew what it was. Apparently, Fern broke the news he would star in the final season of "House of Cards" to "American Horror Story" creator Ryan Murphy. To pile on the good news, Murphy offered him a job on "AHS" immediately afterwards. Fern accepted the offer on the spot, except Murphy didn't tell Fern who he would play until two days before shooting.
Fern revealed to E! that he had been "impacted" by a constant stream of "formidable scene partners." He had gone from working with Diane Lane and Robin Wright to Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates , and Jessica Lange in "Apocalypse." "It's funny, because if you had asked me who the most influential actors had been in my life, they're all actually women. It's just happened that way," Fern said. "I'm far more drawn to performances by strong women than I am to men. I just think that women make better actors, I just do." It was quite the wild ride for Fern, acting with such legendary actresses while also having to learn his lines in two days right after a tour of duty in "House of Cards."