How Jessica Lange Really Felt About Lady Gaga Getting Cast In AHS
When it comes to "American Horror Story," creator Ryan Murphy tends to call on his go-to actors for each season. Regulars like Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, and Denis O'Hare are just a few names who have appeared in multiple years of the anthology show since it debuted in 2011 with the first season, "Murder House."
Jessica Lange is another of Murphy's go-to collaborators, appearing in Season 1 as next door neighbor to the Murder House, Constance Langdon; Season 2 as Sister Jude at the Briarcliff Manor asylum; Season 3 as Fiona Goode, the former Supreme of the coven; and Season 4 as Elsa Mars, the desperate manager of the freak show. For the following seasons, though, Lange chose not to return to the dark world of "American Horror Story." That doesn't mean she doesn't have an opinion on future seasons. In fact, when she was promoting Season 4, she was asked her thoughts on Season 5, called "Hotel," and she threw a little bit of shade about the cast members coming on board.
Lady Gaga got her acting break in American Horror Story
Lady Gaga was famously cast in Season 5 of "American Horror Story" as the Countess who runs the hotel at the center of the show. Oh and she's a vampire. It was her first major acting role and won her a Golden Globe in 2016 for Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. She told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015 that she's unbelievably grateful for Ryan Murphy giving her the chance in "AHS" to show off that she's more than just a musician. She also noted that he saw something in her that most people don't, saying, "Ryan [Murphy] is not the way. Ryan's like 'you're an old movie star, come sit next to me, let me brush your hair, and let's talk about your career."
But while Murphy showed nothing but support for Lady Gaga when he cast her in "American Horror Story: Hotel," Jessica Lange was decidedly less supportive. At the 2015 PaleyFest to promote "American Horror Story: Freak Show," Lange was asked about exiting the franchise, according to Us Weekly. She began by thanking everyone, saying, "I've had a great run here. I have absolutely loved to play these four characters that I've had the opportunity to play. I love the writers, my actors, and Ryan [Murphy], and the whole insanity of it."
But then Lange was asked, "Does Gaga convince you to stay for another season?"
Jessica Lange wasn't impressed with Lady Gaga's casting
Though plenty of other people were excited about Lady Gaga being cast in "American Horror Story: Hotel," Jessica Lange didn't seem too bothered. When asked at PaleyFest in 2015 what she thought about it, her response was pretty blasé. A reporter asked if Lady Gaga's casting would convince her to hang around "AHS" past Season 4, and her response, per Us Weekly, was, "What does that mean? ...I don't understand the question."
She then reportedly shrugged her shoulders and rolled her head "elegantly from the left side to the right." She then simply responded, "Ha."
While it's not super obvious shade, it does seem that Lange didn't much care about Gaga joining the "AHS" family. Lady Gaga never responded to the shade and took to her vampiric role flawlessly. And while no one ever likes to hear others speak ill of them, we like to think Gaga moved on pretty easily — Golden Globe and all.