The Nickname Finn Wittrock Gave To The American Horror Story Cast

Since 2014, Finn Wittrock has remained a mainstay in "American Horror Story." Barring "Cult" and "Apocalypse," Wittrock has truly made his mark on the series — from killer Dandy Mott on "Freak Show" to torn father Harry Gardner on "Red Tide." It takes a top-tier actor to embody such chameleonic roles throughout the anthology series, but series creator Ryan Murphy arguably struck gold upon casting Wittrock. So much so, that Wittrock has transcended his time in "American Horror Story" to Murphy's other realms, including "American Crime Story" and "Ratched."

To be amongst the likes of Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, and Sarah Paulson surely implies that you've joined a rank of an elite acting bunch. On top of that, to be rotated within Murphy's growing universe of avant-garde programming certainly means that Wittrock has climbed the upper echelon — a road that surely was not easy for the Juilliard-trained actor. But for over half a decade, Wittrock has embraced this new career-high and has even coined an adorable nickname for his "American Horror Story" family.

So what nickname did Finn Wittrock give to the "American Horror Story" cast? 

Joining the cast of "American Horror Story" is quite the resume boost, we'd imagine. For seven years, Finn Wittrock has been killing it (literally) in "American Horror Story" amongst various other Ryan Murphy creations. But when he's not playing a psychopathic killer on-screen, Wittrock is a busy father-of-one and wholesome dad. He's also enjoying the repartee amongst his fellow castmates.

Following his "AHS" debut performance in 2014's "Freak Show," the actor soared to new career heights and reaped the fruits of his labor finally paying off. Talking to Celebuzz in 2015, the actor discussed his debut role in the iconic horror anthology series and his overall experience, noting "it was wild" in the process. "It's been great, it's really kind of a character that you rarely get to play. It's like a once in a lifetime opportunity," Wittrock stated.

The actor then spoke on his fellow castmates, which included top-level talents like Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, and Sarah Paulson, and even adopted a sweet nickname for the "Freak Show" team. "Obviously it's an incredible group of people, and they're really kind of tight-knit, Ryan Murphy has a family and if you're a part of it, it's a very cool thing to sort of be in that club, the 'cool kids club.'"

Getting into the "cool kids club" is no easy feat, however. So how did Finn Wittrock get in? 

Joining the "cool kids club" on "American Horror Story" wasn't just an ego trip for Finn Wittrock — it was also a pivotal career moment. "I had never really been offered a part before, before I was offered 'American Horror Story: Freak Show,'" Wittrock told IndieWire in 2018, adding that series creator Ryan Murphy "sort of offered it to me without, in my mind, my having proven that much that I could play a psycho rich kid."

But despite how easy his foray into the series seemed to be, it was anything but. Wittrock was first accepted to Juilliard, which he denied in order to make a name for himself in Hollywood (chalking it up to "18-year-old hubris," per Interview Magazine) — ultimately failing in the process.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in August, Wittrock revealed which movie he channeled for his role in "Red Tide" (which is a part of the "AHS" anthology) — citing a Jack Nicholson classic. "The Shining' is one of my favorite movies of all time, so it's never far off my mind," Wittrock told the outlet. "[I]t was definitely in my thoughts as I was working on [the season]. The type of fear that The Shining induces is the type of fear we're going for, which is, I guess, fear of the unknown."