Sarah Paulson is on the latest cover of DuJour Magazine, and she's looking great as always in a wide-collared leather jacket, styled up hair, and no eyebrows.
In an interview with Natasha Wolff for the magazine, Paulson talked about everything from her favorite roles to play, to what's helping her get through quarantine, and her connection to Linda Tripp, who she plays in Ryan Murphy's upcoming American Crime Story: Impeachment.
Paulson admitted that it's funny she's known for playing so many evil and scary characters. "No one is a bigger scaredy cat than me. I jump at my own shadow," she said. "Here I am acting in these extreme situations where you're being asked to simulate really very emotional situations where the pendulum swings so wildly."
"It's so delicious," she continued, "And you get away with a lot more largesse in your acting when the stakes are high. There's nothing middling about it." Paulson showed off that largesse in 2020 starring in Ratched, Murphy's show about the villainous nurse from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
How does Paulson keep finding such deliciously devilish roles? "When I don't see a path toward [playing a role] clearly, I know that means I have to do it," she said. "I like to be as far away from me as possible. The more terrified I am of a role, the more likely I am to say yes."
She says she's thankful to have found a collaborator in Murphy who keeps casting her in roles that scare her. "He really puts a spotlight on women and storytelling for women over 45 years old," she said. As for her upcoming project with Murphy, ACS: Impeachment, Paulson found herself strangely drawn to Linda Tripp, the former White House employee she plays.
"I have more in common with Linda than I care to admit," she said. "My impatience, my desire for everything to be just so. I can tap into that with Linda. I felt a connection with her." We can't wait to see that connection on our screens!
As for how she's spending her time while the country is locked down, Paulson says she's getting through with help from her friends Diane Keaton and Amanda Peet, plus her partner of five years, Holland Taylor, and the new puppy she adopted, Winnie.
Paulson has been spending the time going back and forth between her's and Taylor's separate homes in Los Angeles. "We are both really independent, and there is a fluidity and elasticity to our living arrangement that works well for both of us and takes the pressure off," said Paulson. "It's been a good thing to allow a change of scenery."
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