If there is one face we associate with American Horror Story, it is that of Jessica Lange. She is, however, not the actress who has participated in the most seasons of the series (a title that belongs to Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters and Lily Rabe with nine seasons each), but the veteran actress was the main draw of Ryan Murphy’s anthology in its early stages, taking part in the first four seasons, and leaving a mark. So her return to the series with season 13 is a real event.
The first episodes of the new installment, in fact, are devoted to enjoying Jessica Lange’s talent. For now, the season has not shown many of its cards (we can suspect a fierce battle between witches and a new embodiment of evil, whether the demon or something else), but it has recreated scenes at the actress’s feet: she returns to perform with her characteristic Southern accent as Constance Langdon, her character from Murder House, though in a very intriguing way: sometimes she drops phrases in German and mentions Bowie as Elsa Mars did (Elsa Mars, from Freak Show) or she has memories of Louisiana like Fiona Goode (Coven). We don’t know if she is exactly who she claims to be, why she is where she is, or what her objective is, but we delight in her presence.
That everything currently revolves around Constance (despite the myriad of Sarah Paulson’s characters perhaps having more relevance in the story going forward) makes a lot of sense: Ryan Murphy has said that the reason he ventured to make this season 13, which is a remix of all the previous ones, was because he managed to get Jessica Lange to agree to return. Lange, for years, had stated that four seasons were enough for her (never said in bad terms) and she claimed she would not return. But the offer was tempting.
Courting a Diva
«For Christ’s sake, no», Lange said when asked in February last year if she would return to American Horror Story. That had been her stance for years, arguing that with four seasons she had contributed enough (or, perhaps, aware that the show had declined in quality and relevance) and she did not want to play a new character. However, the idea of stepping back into the skin of her four original characters appealed to her. Not surprisingly, as early as 2015, in The Wrap, she referred to them this way: «I feel that Ryan — whom I consider a genius — has given me four of the best characters I have played in my entire career». That was, according to her, the proposal from Ryan Murphy that made her say yes.
Jessica Lange en una imagen de Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, creada por Ryan Murphy.
Influence seemed to be that a certain nostalgia for American Horror Story had arisen in her. According to the screenwriter and producer, in their conversation Lange mentioned that when she finished performing Long Day’s Journey Into Night on Broadway there were many young fans waiting for her, but they did not mention iconic works of hers like Blue Sky or Tootsie, instead they adored her for the horror series. Murphy also commented that the actress asked as a condition a musical number, something she has denied, so we will be watching to see whether it happens or not.
Be that as it may, what seems certain is that Jessica Lange is returning Ryan Murphy the favor he did her with that first season of American Horror Story by giving him the leading role she deserved and that she had increasingly difficult to secure in cinema. «They gave me a lot to do each season at a moment in my career where that is no longer the rule, but the exception», she told Deadline in 2015. Their idyll, through early conversations, began in 2011. And although Lange had not seen Nip/Tuck or Glee, the writer’s previous series, she was convinced by the great interest he showed in her: «It had been a long time since anyone paid me that kind of courting. I liked feeling desired», she said to the Los Angeles Times in 2013.
Ryan Murphy, Career Catalyst?
«Me revitalized me; revitalized my career», Lange shared in that same interview referring to American Horror Story, although she does not like to talk about the series as something that pulled her out of obscurity. To be fair, it was not exactly the case (not entirely). In 2009, two years before the show’s premiere, Jessica Lange co-starred with Drew Barrymore in the HBO film Grey Gardens, for which she even won an Emmy. It was with this project that she broke a spell of inactivity and again received Hollywood’s applause, though undoubtedly the series elevated her back to the status of pop icon. «It exposed me to a whole new generation, which is a bit strange. I’m not used to young people thinking I’m cool», she confessed.
Kathy Bates and Jessica Lange in the 2025 film The Great Lillian Hall.
And, of course, it is not an isolated case. Perhaps the other great example is Kathy Bates, who joined American Horror Story in Coven as Delphine LaLaurie, a role she will reprise this season. She was more forceful: «Ryan Murphy has resurrected my career. Thanks to Ryan, my career opened up. He did it all. He gave me back my life during a difficult period of my life», she told Vanity Fair. She now triumphs with the series Matlock, one of the most-watched open-network series in the US (here it can be seen on Movistar Plus).
After that, the list is long: it has certainly boosted the careers of Sarah Paulson (both here and in American Crime Story) or Angela Bassett (who also stars in her firefighter series 9-1-1), gave Lady Gaga her first role in Hotel which has paved the way for her continued acting career in film, and uncovered people like Billie Lourd or Finn Wittrock. Outside of American Horror Story it has also given Niecy Nash-Betts some of her most interesting roles. It is no surprise that most of them are eager to return when she calls them for a season like the 13th of the horror series. Although, a mystery, we do not know why Lily Rabe will not be present.
