The Leading Ladies Of Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story Are Gorgeous In Real Life

Can somebody say "drop dead gorgeous"? From everyone's favorite TV horror queen Sarah Paulson to icon in the making Ella Beatty, the leading ladies of "Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story" are all stunning both on-screen and off. 

We'll start with Ella, who leads "Monster" Season 4 as its titular character Lizzie. The actor, previously known for her work in shows like "Feud: Capote vs. The Swans," is stunning IRL — but that's not exactly surprising when taking into account who her parents are. She's the daughter of stunning Annette Bening and '70s heartthrob Warren Beatty, which already gave her solid chances in the beauty department. However, she's also the niece of '50s icon Shirley MacLaine, so it's safe to say the odds were in her favor even if she didn't look like her mom and dad. 

Bruce Glikas/Getty

Speaking of who Ella resembles, to us, she's the perfect mix of her mom and paternal aunt. On the Bening side, she's got a very similar face shape to her mother, and they also have the same enviable locks. Sure, Bening has rocked shorter 'dos for years now, but in one throwback pic she shared to Instagram back in 2021, she was sporting the same Rapunzel-esque style Ella wears today. In fact, we had to take a sec to check that it was really Bening and not a black and white picture of her daughter. Granted, those MacLaine features are hard to miss, particularly when it comes to Ella's eyes and brows. Talk about copy-paste! Of course, Beatty is more than her famous forebears, and over the past several years, the Juilliard alum has undergone a seriously gorgeous transformation and come into her own. From goddess-inspired gowns to Old Hollywood glam with a twist, we have no doubts she's destined for icon status in her own right, too.

Next up, Vicky Krieps, who plays the Borden family's housekeeper Bridget Sullivan. Some will remember Krieps for her work in the Oscar-winning "Phantom Thread," though she's also been in countless other projects over the years, including "Corsage," the Emma Watson-starring "Colonia," and the Aimee Lou Wood-starring Fyodor Dostoevsky biopic "The Idiot(s)."

Krieps has the kind of soft beauty and enviable cheekbones that would make one think she started her career out as a model (and the fact that she stands at 5 feet, 9 inches only adds to that). Sure enough, she has been included in campaigns for Bottega Veneta. However, she's always been an actor. In fact, Krieps clarified in an Instagram post that her campaign with Bottega Veneta was her first. Color us surprised, there. 

They do say the mark of a beautiful woman is being able to wear a paper bag and look good, and though we've yet to see the actor in one of those, she's certainly pulled off a wide range of styles over the years. She's given us delicate glam, edgy princess vibes, pared-back luxury, and even androgynous tailoring. She also switched things up in a very big way for a 2024 Milan fashion show, sporting a shaved head and even attending the show sans makeup. The buzz cut had been for her role in "Love Me Tender," but let's just say she rocked it and then some. Krieps has subsequently let it grow out into a shorter crop, and looks just as radiant as ever. We're sure she'll switch things up again at some point in the future, but with a face card like that (and consistent reminders that she can sport everything from long locks to a buzz), we're definitely looking forward to it. 

Another "Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story" star who could easily pass as a model? Rebecca Hall, who plays Ella Beatty's on-screen stepmother, Abby Borden. Many will recognize her as Vicky from "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" or Ilene Andrews from "Godzilla vs. Kong" and "Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire."

Like her co-star Vicky Krieps, Hall has proven time and again that she can pull off a wide variety of looks both on and off screen. For one, after wrapping on psychological horror film "Resurrection," she decided to go for a pixie cut — though aesthetics weren't the only decision-making factor there. Speaking to Newsweek, she joked, "I literally cut all my hair off directly after finishing the shoot. So I think I maybe thought, 'This haircut now has bad vibes and I need to cleanse the palate.'" Well, whatever the reason, she looked stunning with the much-shorter style. That's just as well, because not long after she starred in the 2024 Starz TV show "The Listeners," and did so with a super short bob and bangs. Aka, the kind of lewk that shouldn't be suggested for just anyone. Luckily, Hall isn't "just anyone," and even though the chop was clearly intended to make her look more like a normal English teacher than a movie star, those cheekbones were hard to beat, and she still managed to look gorgeous. 

When she's not working on a production that requires her to completely transform, Hall seems to gravitate towards casual looks and medium-length hair, though because her Instagram is centered more on her work than her personal life, there's a chance she switches it up in her day-to-day as well. Either way, we have no doubts she looks just as stunning off-duty as she does when on the clock. 

Ella Beatty isn't the only "Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story" star to be descended from a Hollywood dynasty. Billie Lourd comes from a gorgeous famous family too (not bad for two actors cast as sisters). 

Lourd, who plays Emma Borden, is the daughter of the late Carrie Fisher, who became an icon thanks to her role as Princess Leia in "Star Wars." Fisher came from a famous family as well, her own mother being Old Hollywood movie star Debbie Reynolds. Lourd looks just like her legendary grandmother, but she also looks a lot like her mom, all three of them having very similar eye shapes. In fact, her entire eye area looks just like her mom's, and even when Lourd's eyes are closed, you'd have no problem spotting the resemblance. 

As those who've followed Lourd for years will know, like her co-stars, she can pull off a variety of different looks, whether they be for a role or her own life. Case in point: her Katy Perry-themed birthday party (side note: best idea ever) in 2026, for which she kept her natural locks but went as far as popping in blue contact lenses. She can also do an Old Hollywood glam look for the red carpet (without looking as though she was cosplaying as her mom or grandmother, no less), keep things gorgeous and au naturel for vacays, or pull off big hair, blue eyeshadow and leopard print for a role (obviously, we're talking about "American Horror Story: 1984"). At least at the time of this writing, we don't think Lourd has posed in a paper bag, but much like the other leading ladies of "Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story," she'd certainly be able to pull it off if she did. 

We'll end things with Sarah Paulson, because if anyone could exemplify the "Paper bag" theory, it's the "American Horror Story" icon, who plays Aileen Wuornos in "Monster: The Elizabeth Borden Story."

Time and again, Paulson has shown that she can pull off just about any hairstyle she chooses. Short blond crops? Been there, done that, posted it to Instagram and got the comment, "Flawless." Brunette pixie cut? Equally as gorg, and had fans calling her "Mother." She looks just as stunning with longer red hair, a perfect blond blowout, slicked-back updos ... basically, you name it, Paulson's rocked it. As for glam, Paulson's fans will no doubt know the actor looks just as gorgeous without makeup. 

It's pretty noteworthy that even when her overall look changes regularly, Paulson always looks exactly like herself. That's pretty noteworthy considering she once told People that for a long time, she'd tried to do the exact opposite. "When I was younger all I wanted to do was change my look — dyeing my hair jet-black, copying the looks of all the beautiful girls in class — I never considered the idea, that the face and body I was born with, was perfectly lovely as it was," she told the outlet. Thankfully, that changed over time, and Paulson went on to say that as she got older, she became so comfortable with what she looked like that she even often skipped makeup in her daily life. "It sounds cliched, but I do feel best without it, because I recognize that lady in the mirror," she explained. Well, confidence plays a big part in beauty, so perhaps that's why Paulson manages to look incredible no matter how she styles herself. A life lesson we should all take from the TV horror legend, for sure.