Why Holden Vaughn From AHS: Double Feature Looks So Familiar
"When I'm looking to get inspired, I like to go down to the beach and feel the colors," explains Holden Vaughn, one of the latest characters introduced in "American Horror Story: Double Feature." Sporting a square scarf and bowler hat, he explains to Chief Burleson (Adina Porter) that he witnessed a murder on the beach as his ring-clad fingers clutch a latte.
He was too far away to do anything, but he confidently declares it to be "a gay-bashing incident" and goes on to say that he's an interior designer who worked on "almost every chic house in this town." Vaughn is typically a summertime Provincetown resident, but he's visiting while he mourns the death of his beloved dog, Marley.
Burleson flatly asks what colors feel like, and he retorts, "Darling, if you have to ask, you wouldn't understand." It's unknown if he's taking the mysterious black pills that either turn people into vampiric prodigies or vampiric nobodies, but given his hipster-chic persona, he's a likely candidate. However, he seems unfamiliar with the town's vampire problem. He tells Burleson that it's nice being there in the winter, "except for those pale, strange homeless creatures wearing the AIDS-era couture."
With this one scene to go off of, it's hard to say what Vaughn's role will be just yet. However, this isn't the actor's first time appearing on "American Horror Story."
An American Horror Story veteran returns
Actor Denis O'Hare appeared on "American Horror Story" seasons "Murder House," "Coven," "Freak Show," "Hotel," and "Roanoke" before returning for "Double Feature." Of all the "AHS" characters he's portrayed, fans are arguably most drawn to Liz Taylor, the fashion-forward bartender at the Hotel Cortez.
Taking to Instagram, O'Hare shared a picture of Holden Vaughn and said that he was "super excited" about Season 10. One fan commented to ask, "You aren't possibly evil, are you?" with a frowning devil emoji. "What tipped you off," he replied. It looks like Vaughn's effortlessly cool act might be hiding something, after all.
In an interview with Digitial Spy, however, O'Hare explained that his character is "not a main driver of action" and that he's "definitely got some comic relief aspect, which I love."
In addition to his "American Horror Story" characters, O'Hare is known for his roles in "Dallas Buyers Club," "Garden State," and "True Blood."
Other ventures in TV and film
"My earliest memories of performing come from when I was around 8 years old or so," O'Hare shared on his blog, reminiscing on a state fair performance and a grade school play. The actor discovered his passion for performing at an early age and now boasts a prolific career spanning TV, film, and stage.
O'Hare revealed that his filmography is so long because he says yes to "almost everything" (via Digital Spy). "If someone asks me to do a weird, experimental, German-Israeli art film in a hotel in Chelsea, I'm there," he said. "'What do I do? I'm playing a drone pilot? I'm in. Go to Venice and do a silent film about the plague? 'OK. I'm your guy. I'll do it.'"
While those may just be examples, his film roles reflect his willingness to take on any character or subject matter. O'Hare's best-known film roles include Dr. Sevard in "Dallas Buyers Club" and politician John Briggs in "Milk," both of which got him nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture (via IMDb).
His TV career started in 1993 with a stint on "Law & Order" and since then, he's done everything from sitcoms to dramas, Christmas musicals to starring as a guest judge on "RuPaul's Drag Race." O'Hare's most popular non-"AHS" role may have been the one on the HBO fantasy series "True Blood," where he starred as the ruthless, unstable vampire king Russell Edgington.
Currently, O'Hare stars as Edmund Hague on the HBO series "The Nevers."
On the stage
Beyond the silver screen, O'Hare has appeared in multiple theater productions, including "Cabaret," "Sweet Charity," and "Assassins," for which he received a Tony nomination. From portraying a pig in his first school play to winning a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for "Take Me Out" and performing a one-man show, the stage actor has come a long way. His TV and film roles might be what he's known best for, but his theater work is just as important to him.
In a 2019 interview with The American, O'Hare said that he enjoys working on stage more than he does film or TV projects. "I'm a theater animal first so I always come back to that," he admitted. "I love the process of working on a play with a troupe of actors whom you become close with," he added, explaining that the process is very different for each medium. Whether it's on-screen or live on stage, O'Hare is a passionate and versatile performer.