Now this is scary. Sarah Paulson is reportedly not going to be starring in FX’s upcoming “American Horror Story: 1984,” per our sister site Variety. However, the door remains open for the “People v. O.J. Simpson” Emmy winner to pop up in a cameo in this ninth installment, which will debut on Wednesday, September 18. Of note, Paulson is the only female actor to appear in all eight seasons so far, with co-star Evan Peters being the only male actor; Peters has also said that he won’t be back for Season 9.
“AHS” has a knack for bringing back former cast members, such as Jessica Lange returning after a four-year absence in last year’s “Apocalypse” episode, “Return to Murder House.” That fan-favorite hour, which Paulson directed, also reunited former stars Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott for several scenes to fill in viewers on what their characters had been up to since the landmark first installment. That gives us hope that Paulson may not be completely out of sight, out of mind in “1984.”
Paulson started out as a guest star in Season 1 (“Murder House”) as psychic Billie Dean Howard, a character that later resurfaced in two other cycles (“Hotel” and “Apocalypse”). She was upgraded to a series regular for the next seven installments where she earned no less than five Emmy nominations for playing journalist Lana Winters (“Asylum”), witch Cordelia Foxx (“Coven”), conjoined twins Bette & Dot Tattler (“Freak Show”), ghost Sally McKenna (“Hotel”) and cult member Ally Mayfair-Richards (“Cult”).
At a recent Emmy FYC event for “American Horror Story: Apocalypse,” Paulson announced that she would like to direct again after stepping behind the camera for the first time last year. If showrunner Ryan Murphy invites Paulson back to direct, it seems like a no-brainer that she’d appear on-screen, however briefly, since she’d already be on set.
Besides the premiere date and title, little is known about “American Horror Story: 1984” except for two previously announced cast members. “AHS” scene-stealer Emma Roberts is back again after popping up in “Coven,” “Freak Show,” “Cult” and “Apocalypse,” while Olympic skier and “Sharknado 5: Global Swarming” star Gus Kenworthy joins the frightening franchise for the first time.
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