Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson and the ‘Coven’ on What Brought Them Back to ‘American Horror Story’ — and If This Is the End

[This story contains spoilers from episodes seven and eight of American Horror Story season 13, “The Baddest Witch Of Them All” and “Hell No.”]

No one in American Horror Story ever really dies… and that’s part of the appeal to returning to the veteran horror franchise for the witches who make up the Coven.

Picking up from a cliffhanger for Sarah Paulson‘s Supreme witch, Cordelia Goode — seemingly dead from an axe to the head from Evan Peters’ James Patrick March — the seventh episode of the all-star crossover 13th season brought Cordelia back to life in a resurrection scene that marked the long-awaited return of the all-time Supreme — Cordelia’s mother, Fiona Goode, played by Jessica Lange.

The mother-daughter reunion brought the arrival of Lange’s third iconic franchise character (Sister Jude is still waiting in the wings), and set up the Coven witches as the women tasked with saving the world in a season that brings major villains back from the dead, and many actors back to the franchise.

The Hollywood Reporter spoke to the coven — Lange, Paulson, Billie Lourd, Gabourey Sidibe and Leslie Grossman — who all say they were easily lured back to the franchise by mastermind Ryan Murphy, and that they were led to believe season 13 could be the last of the franchise. Trick’s on them, however — as Murphy now says he’d like to do the franchise “forever.”

Will season 13 close the Coven chapter, or set their characters up for more AHS? They may not all be on the same page about that (we’re looking at you, Lady Lange), but below, the close-knit ensemble dives in about what drew them back, what it’s like to return to these fan-favorite characters and the magic of the megahit horror series. “It was like a return to something that had been the beginning,” says Lange.

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At the beginning of this season, Ryan Murphy told me you all quickly said yes when he called to ask if you would return for season 13. He said he started with you, Jessica, and that if you had said no, he probably would not have done this all-star season at all. I know you had a condition — to play all four of your AHS characters. Can you talk about why you came back after all these years? (Note: Lange last played a series regular in season four, and guest starred in season eight.)

JESSICA LANGE (Laughs.) I’ll preface this by saying that when Ryan wants something, he is the most seductive. He can usually talk you into just about anything.

But when he approached me about this, he was interested, of course, in the character of Constance [from Murder House], because I think, of the four characters I’ve played, Constance was perhaps his favorite. But I said I would consider doing it if I could play all four of the characters that I had established on the show in those first four seasons, because then I was basically done with [the show].

So [I asked about] the four characters, he said yes, and it kind of went from there. And then knowing I’d be working with the same company of people — Sarah and Gabby and Billy, all of us — and Evan [Peters]. It became interesting, because it was like a return to something that had been the beginning. So that was it. Hopefully we’d get some good scenes, some good writing and directing. That was the genesis for me.

Sarah, you had taken time away from American Horror Story, and now you come back playing five (so far) of your characters. Did you have to think about coming back? And were these additional parts [Ms. Venable, Hypodermic Sally, Mamie Eisenhower and Tuberculosis Karen] an easy, “Yes, yes, yes, yes”?

SARAH PAULSON I had had enough of a break that the impulse was to say yes, but then Ryan said, “Jessica’s back,” and I said, “Well, then I’m doing it.” It was really pretty simple.

Not to sully the names of all the other wonderful people who were part of the show. I stood, I think, three seasons down…

BILLIE LOURD You weren’t in 1984…

PAULSON And I wasn’t in NYC, and I wasn’t in Delicate. There were three seasons I didn’t do it at all, so it had been a very long time. Jessica hadn’t been back since season [four as a series regular but since season] eight, actually, because remember I directed you in that episode?

LANGE Oh, yes, for the return to Murder House [in Apocalypse].

PAULSON So there had been a little bit of that, but we had all not been together as the OG group in so long that when Ryan said that was his plan, I just said, “Well, that sounds too delicious and fun.” He didn’t promise me I would get to play any characters, but… I got to do a few.

And I didn’t get to do them enough. I play some of those for literally 20 seconds — jumping into the hell mouth [in episode four].

Fans are calling for more Tuberculosis Karen [from Double Feature].

PAULSON (Laughs.) Yeah, Tuberculosis Karen is great. I would have liked to have done more of that.

LANGE But I did play one new character.

Yes, I’d love you to ask you how Ryan convinced you to play Margaret Thatcher in that same “Jezebel’s Ball” sacrifice scene — or was that your idea?

LANGE That was my idea, because I figured if you’re throwing 13 women who have been guilty of horrendous things, that you couldn’t do that without Margaret Thatcher.

PAULSON Don’t get her started!

Billie, you also play two characters this season. Did you know that going in?

BILLIE LOURD I did. That was part of Ryan’s pitch to me too, is that I got to play two of my favorite characters. I wish I would have gotten to play Montana [from 1984], ’cause she’s my fave. But now I’ve had two kids, and I wouldn’t really fit in the little aerobics suit anymore, so I’m kind of happy I didn’t play her! But I got to play Winter and Mallory. Sweet, poor Mallory, the poor girl in every scene is just so sad. It’s really tough for me.

But it was great. I’d never gotten to play two characters in one show and that was really gratifying and such a fun thing to do as an actress, even though I didn’t get to play Winter for that long.

PAULSON Yeah, that was a brief one. Season 14… [invoking Game of Thrones] Winter is back!

LANGE I want to also say that Ryan said this was the last season. But now I understand that perhaps, it’s not.

LOURD That’s the word on the street.

Was that you’re understanding going into this season, that season 13 would be the last for AHS? Because in speaking to Ryan since, he has told us he wants to keep doing AHS “forever” (just not necessarily as big and all-starry as season 13).

PAULSON I don’t know, but I thought it was the last one, too.

LOURD I think we all did.

LESLIE GROSSMAN I did not.

LOURD You didn’t?

GROSSMAN I think it’s understood that the show is going to go as long as he would like to keep doing the show. I was not under the same impression. I feel like he said it, though.

LANGE I do feel like he said it.

PAULSON Ryan, what the hell were you thinking? (Laughs.)

LOURD I think it was said quickly, and then taken away.

LANGE But, forever?

LOURD Then I really won’t fit in the aerobics costume. (Laughs.)

Ryan also said that when you all came back to set, as soon as each of you landed your accents, it was like no time had passed. Leslie and Gabourey, is that how you felt? That once you found your characters’ voices, it was like you never left?

SIDIBE I think there’s a quiet anger to Queenie and the second I like unlock that, the quiet anger in myself, I was pretty much back.

GROSSMAN For me, it’s more about getting to be with the people I had gotten to be with before, that there is a connection and a comfort with, and that gets you right back into the mode. I love working with everyone. I really love my scenes with Gabby. I always feel like there’s a Lucy and Ethel vibe [from I Love Lucy] that goes on between us every time, and you see that in episode seven. Obviously, these are people who mean a great deal to me, and when we get together, there is an alchemy and a vibe and a feeling that gets you right back into it.

I am obsessed with Coco’s gluten powers.

GROSSMAN Look, she started off as a gluten detector, and now she’s able to kick a little ass. And you know what? Thank God. Jessica, you have no idea. [Note: They haven’t yet been in scenes together.] You don’t know the power that Coco has!

LOURD You don’t know the gluten witch.

GROSSMAN Thankfully, Coco was elevated, and has gotten to kick a little more ass.

Sarah, Cordelia’s fate was a big cliffhanger last week, and we now know she is resurrected by her mother, marking Jessica’s return as our first Supreme, Fiona. Did you all know the whole arc going into the season, or were you finding out as you got scripts?

PAULSON I don’t think they [the writers] knew the whole arc going in. (Laughs.) They were figuring it out.

LANGE You never knew from one moment to another what your character was going to do.

PAULSON We were we were all kind of flying blind.

LANGE But that was the way we always were. You were lucky if you got the scene the morning of.

PAULSON I think it’s a real testament. Anytime you see somebody on television doing good work, you have to recognize that there is sometimes an upwards of nine to 10 pages that are being done in a day. Whereas if you do a film, you’re doing a page and a half, maybe two pages? The output is voluminous. So for actors who are able to do it and to do it quickly and to think quickly, it’s pretty amazing. That’s what this crew of people can do.

I have been told the Coven remains very relevant throughout the entire season.

PAULSON Yes.

This eighth episode certainly sets them up to be the saviors of the world. Your fellow witch, Emma Roberts, said that the ending closes a chapter. Is that how you all felt, like the closing of a chapter?

SIDIBE Oh, absolutely not. Honestly, that last episode, I said, “We’ll be here in six months.”

PAULSON You think?

LOURD You did say that.

SIDIBE Sure, some chapters close, but the full book is still the full book.

PAULSON I think you’re probably right about that.

LANGE [to Paulson] You’re going back for Coven again?

PAULSON No one’s called me about anything. I know nothing about it, but it is the story that I always feel like I would like to go back to. I would like to go back in time and have Salem witches to talk about the origins of how we found ourselves the coven that we are today, I would be interested in that. But what I like doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what he’s [Murphy] going to be interested in telling.

Would it interest all of you to come back to Coven again quickly, or was it appealing to have some time away?

PAULSON Well, now that we’re here, I’m just like… We haven’t done Coven since [season eight] Apocalypse, so it’s been like five years or something.

LANGE The original Coven was 2013.

PAULSON Thirteen years ago, crazy.

Jessica, would you leave the door open to return again, or is this a one-and-done for you?

LANGE This is a one and done, I think, yeah. I got to play those four characters, I enjoyed it. Got to work with this ensemble of actors again, which was wonderful. But no, there’s no reason to. I wasn’t interested in creating a new storyline or a new character, really.

PAULSON I’m just gonna put it out there — that I’ve seen many an interview with Jessica on the streets of New York, where she’s being accosted by a fan, and they ask whether she’s going to come back, and she’s like, “Absolutely not.” And yet, here we are. So I’m just saying… (laughs.)

LANGE But no, no, no. This was an extraordinary [season]… this was a different thing. This was revisiting four characters and weaving them together. That was fun, but you can’t keep doing that forever.

PAULSON You can’t?

LANGE No. No.

We would watch it.

PAULSON You would watch! I mean, I think if the appetite is there for the people…

Ryan did tell me, Jessica, that you had shared when you were doing Broadway, that fans were approaching you about American Horror Story, and that touched or motivated you to want to return. Are you all still amazed at the AHS fandom and how much it resonates?

LANGE Well, it’s always different when someone comes up to you on the street. You never know what it is about your work and your history of work that has touched them or that they’re going to speak about. For young people, a lot of times it is American Horror Story. It’s not always; it really depends on who’s seen what. It’s always interesting to me.

PAULSON What about you, Gabby? Do people come up to you all the time for Queenie?

SIDIBE It’s a lot of Queenie. But also, it’s a lot of Precious. It’s Difficult People. But I think the most aggressive fanbase is absolutely American Horror Story (laughs), 100 percent.

GROSSMAN It is incredible how fervent the fanbase is and how Ryan has been able to keep this show very much in the zeitgeist for 13 seasons.

PAULSON What other show is really doing that? Constantly reinventing itself and using the same company of actors? I remember in the beginning, when it went from Murder House to Asylum, the fans were like, “Wait, Evan is Tate. He cannot be Kit.” It was really unnerving for them at first and now, I feel like they expect it They’re kind of in on it. They want to see what everybody’s going to do and what the new characters are, and that makes it feel sort of interactive with the audience in a way that’s very cool, because they are looking forward to seeing what the actors are going to do.

Jessica, you’re reprising another one of your characters in the film adaptation of Long Day’s Journey Into Night, and I wanted to ask all of you, what appeals to you at this point in your careers? Is it TV, film, the stage? In this case, it seems like it was about revisiting characters you all loved.

LANGE Well, I mean, it’s all of those, depending on the role, depending on the company, depending on so many things, but I love doing stage. Being able to film Long Day’s Journey Into Night was just a dream come true — although it did start off as a nightmare for a while, because we had no money and were shut down, and it’s been four years getting it to the screen. But stage, screen, TV… as long as the part is there, and you have something to do and it’s thrilling still, then it doesn’t have to be one or the other. It’s any of the above, I think. Don’t you?

PAULSON I agree. I don’t really discriminate, if the part is there, I’ll do it. Wherever someone will have me!

SIDIBE When I got the email about AHS: 13, I was actually directing a TV movie. So what came to my mind was: Do I want to be in control of my career? Or step back from the control and go and take a role that I’ve already taken, and somebody else is controlling it? And I did it because I like it, and because in the end, I really don’t have to choose, do I want to be a director or an actor? I’m actually just an artist. I’m going to do my art wherever I am able to do that. And that means acting, it also means directing. It also means producing, because I do want control over the art that I put out into the world.

Having control is really great! We’re all very strong women. Look, a lot of times the lines are there, but we spend a lot of time rewriting these scenes quite a bit. Because we do know these characters. We do know the story, and we are smart. So it’s not that taking a step back as an actor means I have no control. It just means I don’t have top control. But that’s what I want in my career. I want to be able to control the stories that I tell, and I can do this as an actor, but I can do it a little better as a director and a producer. So I have some projects coming up that I’m producing that I’m helping to write, that I’m helping to create. And that’s what I want in my career. I want my own voice.

PAULSON Billie has been producing, too.

LOURD I love it. Everything Gabby said. Control is something that’s also very important to me. I love control. I would say I’m a control freak. (Laughs.) I also am wanting to get into directing and I’ve been producing a lot. I’m also writing a book.

LANGE How’s that? Is it easy for you to write?

PAULSON She’s an incredible writer. She shared some of these essays with Leslie and myself when we were shooting.

LANGE Does that come naturally?

LOURD It comes very naturally. I love it. It’s my soul thing.

PAULSON She’s also an extraordinary singer. [Quoting Postcards From the Edge, adapted from Lourd’s mother Carrie Fisher’s novel]: “She has a much better voice than that blonde girl. She hasn’t got half your voice.”

LOURD This woman quoting Postcards is the greatest thing of all time.

PAULSON I’m quoting her mother’s script. But, really, she’s a woman of many talents. I’d like someone to film it!

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New episodes of FX’s American Horror Story: 13 air Thursdays at 9 p.m. on FX and on Hulu, until the finale on Oct. 29.