We Finally Know What Alma Was Really Eating On AHS: Red Tide
Out of all the characters in the "Red Tide" portion of "American Horror Story: Double Feature," Ryan Kiera Armstrong's Alma Gardner is without a doubt the most disturbing. Played by the 11-year-old actor, Alma is a murderous, bloodthirsty youngster who does whatever it takes to get what she wants, including even feasting on her own baby brother's leg in one episode.
Armstrong, like many "American Horror Story" cast members over the years, was tasked with filming her macabre scenes using practical effects and props, such as fake blood and faux dead rabbits. But what about Alma's now-infamous baby biting scene? How was Armstrong able to muscle through such an intense and shocking sequence, one that many viewers felt went too far? More importantly, what on earth was she actually given to gnaw on while filming it?
Speaking with CinemaBlend, the "Red Tide" star explained both how she filmed the disturbing scene and ultimately took on the role of Alma, a job that she described as being "really fun" to prepare for.
Alma's most controversial Red Tide scene was 'very interesting' to shoot
Ryan Kiera Armstrong says she was given a silicone prop that had almost the same texture as a gummy bear for the baby scene in "American Horror Story: Double Feature." For five minutes straight, the actress says she pretended to feed on the fake leg while filming the controversial "Red Tide" scene. "It was kind of almost like chewing on a gummy bear in a very weird way," Armstrong told CinemaBlend. "But it was a very interesting scene. Obviously, I've never really worked with a gummy bear in my mouth for a whole scene, just chewing on the baby's leg. But it was very interesting."
One of the season's other unnerving moments saw Alma munching on a dead rabbit, and according to Armstrong, that scene was even grosser and messier to film than fans might think. "That scene had to use a lot of fake blood just all around my face," the actress recalled. "There's like a lot of fake blood in my mouth, and this blood tasted very, very sweet. They put, like, a whole ton of sugar and thickener and stuff in it, and it was really, really gross, honestly. I just don't have a sweet tooth. I like sour things. So at the end of the day, when I was shooting that, it was disgusting. Because after each take, they were just refilling the blood in my mouth, and it was really gross."
The "Red Tide" finale aired on Wednesday, September 22, but "American Horror Story: Double Feature" is far from over. Indeed, "Red Tide" is just the first part of "Double Feature," with the season's second part, titled "Death Valley," set to debut on Wednesday, September 29.