Sarah Paulson Has Jessica Lange to Thank For Her Role on American Horror Story

Sarah Paulson and Jessica Lange are often recognized for their myriad roles on American Horror Story, but if it wasn't for Lange, Paulson would have never been a part of the show. In this week's issue of Adweek, Paulson revealed that she first met writer Ryan Murphy during a guest appearance on season two of Nip/Tuck, but she had no idea "that was going to lead to my world spinning on the Ryan Murphy axis." Murphy later cast Paulson in a 2008 pilot of another FX show, though it never got picked up and the two eventually lost contact — that is, until Lange got involved.

Lange, who first met Paulson in 2005 when they costarred in Broadway's The Glass Menagerie, had been hanging out with Paulson after moving to LA to film American Horror Story's first season in 2011. "LA is really not her town, so she was glad I was there," Paulson said while recalling the time she accompanied Lange to a Murphy event. "It was the first time I had seen Ryan in many years. Jessica threw her arm around me, looked at Ryan, and said, 'Can't you find something for Sarah to do on the show? It would be so great. I just like having her around.'"

Murphy happily obliged and immediately cast Paulson as psychic Billie Dean Howard in three episodes of American Horror Story before taking Paulson out to dinner and offering her a long-term role with the show. "I was like, 'Based on what?'" Paulson said. "I didn't know why he was motivated to do that, but he did. Then I played Lana Winters, and the rest is history." "We always knew she was great, but her ability to carry things and put them on her shoulder became evident. And she's knocked it out of the park over and over again," Murphy gushed. "She's become a major star."