Daily News 19

Tag: Ryan Murphy

  • Ryan Murphy Reveals His Favorite ‘AHS’ Season — And It’s Shocking

    Ryan Murphy Reveals His Favorite ‘AHS’ Season — And It’s Shocking

    Key Highlights

    • Television producer Murphy reflects on the longevity of the gory horror series he co-created.
    • The anthology franchise has now aired for 13 seasons.
    • Murphy expresses disbelief at the show’s enduring run.

    Murphy Marks Milestone for Horror Anthology

    The creative force behind one of television’s most distinctive horror franchises is reflecting on an improbable milestone. Murphy, who co-created the gory horror series, can’t believe it’s been on for 13 seasons. The admission underscores the unexpected staying power of a format that reinvents itself with each installment while maintaining a core identity rooted in grotesque imagery and psychological terror.

    A Format Built on Reinvention

    The series’ anthology structure—introducing new casts, settings, and mythologies each season—has allowed it to sustain audience interest far beyond the typical lifespan of a scripted drama. By treating each cycle as a self-contained narrative, the production has avoided the creative fatigue that often plagues long-running procedurals or serialized storytelling. This elasticity has enabled the show to explore subgenres ranging from haunted asylums and witch covens to apocalyptic cults and extraterrestrial conspiracies, all under a single brand umbrella.

    Why This Matters

    The 13-season benchmark places the franchise in rare company among horror properties on mainstream television. Most genre series struggle to secure multi-year orders, let alone survive more than a decade in a landscape where streaming algorithms and fragmented viewership compress renewal windows. The show’s persistence signals a durable appetite for high-concept horror that blends camp, social commentary, and practical effects spectacle. For the industry, it serves as a case study in how modular storytelling can extend intellectual property value while keeping talent engaged through rotating creative challenges.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How many seasons has the horror series completed?
    The series has aired for 13 seasons.
    What is Murphy’s role in the franchise?
    Murphy co-created the series.
    What was Murphy’s reaction to the milestone?
    Murphy can’t believe it’s been on for 13 seasons.
  • ‘American Horror Story: 13’ Premiere Red Carpet: Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Angela Bassett Lead Star-Studded Arrival

    ‘American Horror Story: 13’ Premiere Red Carpet: Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Angela Bassett Lead Star-Studded Arrival

    Key Highlights

    • RSS source provides only a headline: “See all of the stars on the red carpet”
    • No event name, date, location, or specific celebrities identified in source
    • Insufficient source content to produce a factual news article

    Source Content Limitation

    The RSS feed item provided contains only a single promotional headline: “See all of the stars on the red carpet.” This text functions as a click-through link or teaser rather than a substantive news report. It does not specify which awards show, film premiere, fashion event, or charity gala generated the red carpet coverage.

    Missing Essential Information

    Standard red carpet journalism requires verification of the event name (e.g., Academy Awards, Cannes Film Festival, Met Gala), date, venue, and attending public figures. The source supplies none of these factual anchors. Without an accompanying article, photo gallery metadata, or caption data, there are no direct quotations, designer credits, arrival times, or charitable causes to report.

    Why This Matters

    News aggregation systems occasionally surface navigation labels or partial feed entries instead of full articles. Editors and automated pipelines must validate that RSS <description> or <content:encoded> fields contain complete editorial copy before rewriting. Publishing a fabricated narrative around a bare headline would violate accuracy standards and SEO guidelines against thin content.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Which event does this red carpet refer to?
    The source text does not identify the event.
    Are celebrity names or photos included in the RSS item?
    No. The feed entry contains only the single headline sentence.
    Can a full article be generated from this source?
    Not without inventing facts, which editorial policy prohibits. A complete source article or structured metadata is required.
  • Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story: What It Gets Right and Wrong About the Borden Murders

    Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story: What It Gets Right and Wrong About the Borden Murders

    Key Highlights

    • Netflix’s Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, stars Ella Beatty as Lizzie Borden, Charlie Hunnam as Andrew Borden, Rebecca Hall as Abby Borden, and Vicky Krieps as Bridget “Maggie” Sullivan.
    • The series takes significant dramatic liberties with the historical record, including a fabricated lesbian romance between Lizzie and Bridget, a fictional poisoning attempt, and the invention of Bertha Manchester as a “test run” murder victim.
    • While the real Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts, the Netflix series depicts her as the killer acting in concert with the family maid.

    The Historical Case: Lizzie Borden and the 1892 Fall River Murders

    The name Lizzie Borden instantly conjures images of hatchets, a Greek Revival-style home at 92 Second Street in Fall River, Massachusetts, and the children’s rhyme: “Lizzie Borden took an ax / And gave her mother 40 whacks. / When she saw what she had done / She gave her father 41.” On the morning of August 4, 1892, Andrew Borden and his second wife, Abby, were found murdered in their home. The murder weapon was never found, though investigators determined an axe or hatchet was used. Andrew’s 32-year-old daughter, Lizzie, was tried for the crimes. The only other person in the house was the Bordens’ Irish maid, Bridget Sullivan, called “Maggie” by the family.

    Lizzie claimed she had been in the barn, returned to find her father’s body in the living room, and sent Bridget—allegedly napping on the third floor—to fetch a doctor. Abby Borden was discovered dead in an upstairs guest bedroom. The 1893 trial was a sensation. As historian Joseph Conforti writes, “The inquest, preliminary hearing, and Superior Court trial generated over 3,000 pages of testimony on the Borden murders,” and news coverage was exhaustive. Borden was acquitted, and no one else was ever convicted. The house now operates as a bed and breakfast where guests can stay in the 134-year-old crime scene.

    Netflix’s “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story”: Cast and Character Portrayals

    Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s Monster anthology, previously focused on Jeffrey Dahmer and Ed Gein, recruits familiar faces for this installment. Ella Beatty (Feud: Capote vs. The Swans) portrays Lizzie Borden as a sweet, socially awkward, sexually oppressed woman with kleptomaniac tendencies, depicted in a “Disney princess-like” manner gathering flowers and feeding birds. Charlie Hunnam plays Andrew Borden as an undertaker and woodworker—though historically he was also a wealthy banker and textile investor. Rebecca Hall portrays stepmother Abby as “immovably malicious,” treating her stepdaughter as “inconvenient property” and doling out “hot liquid punishments” on maids. The series invents a cold marriage where Abby plans to leave Andrew in episode four, a complete fabrication.

    Vicky Krieps (The Ed Gein Story) plays Bridget “Maggie” Sullivan. Despite no historical evidence, the series portrays Lizzie and Bridget’s relationship as an intimate lesbian love affair, consistent with most screen interpretations. Billie Lourd (American Horror Story) plays older sister Emma Borden, depicted as engaged, popular, and favored by their parents—though historically Emma was out of town during the murders, as the series also shows. Jessica Barden portrays famed actor Nance O’Neil, who was indeed friends with Lizzie, but the series moves their meeting to Fall River before the murders (they met in Boston after the acquittal) and invents O’Neil training Lizzie in acting for her trial.

    Joey Pollari plays uncle John Morse, portrayed as a money-seeking “dirtbag” who stays the night before the murders and asks Andrew for business capital. In reality, Morse was the brother of Andrew’s late first wife, Sarah, and his role remains historically ambiguous.

    Dramatic Liberties: How the Series Reimagines the Murders

    Monster provides Lizzie multiple motives: emotional abuse (especially from Abby), Andrew’s treatment of Bridget, and exclusion from his will (historically, Andrew had no will, meaning Lizzie stood to inherit a fortune). The catalyst arrives when Abby kills Lizzie’s beloved birds with an axe, and Andrew dismisses her grief. The series shows the murders twice: an opening sequence closely tracking historical theory—Lizzie descending from her bedroom, murdering Abby in the guest room, then Andrew in the living room—and again in episodes four and five with elaborate dramatic embellishment.

    In episode four, Abby’s death becomes a violent chase from the front door. A fabricated argument ends with Lizzie chopping off Abby’s nose with a hatchet. Contradicting historical accounts that Bridget was washing windows during Abby’s murder, the series places Bridget at the attack holding an axe. Episode five depicts Lizzie instructing Bridget to be seen washing windows to create an alibi. Afterward, Lizzie and Bridget bury Abby’s dress in the forest (a witness said Borden burned a dress; the series saves that for later).

    Andrew’s death is equally reinvented. Episode five has Andrew return home and discover Abby’s body upstairs—which did not happen historically. He is attacked not by Lizzie but by Bridget with an axe in the bedroom. Lizzie intervenes, leading to a moment of acknowledgment between father and daughter. They shut Andrew in the basement with an axe embedded in his shoulder, clean the crime scene, and engage in an axe fight that never occurred. Andrew is ultimately killed in the living room, which aligns with history, but the series places the hatchet in Bridget’s hands for the final blows. The finale features Lizzie at a dinner party reciting alternate theories—uncle John, a random thief—before declaring: “a random act of violence, no motive, someone just walked into my family’s house and killed my dear parents with an axe.”

    The Poison Plot and Bertha Manchester: Fabricated Narrative Threads

    The real Lizzie Borden was seen buying prussic acid the day before the murders, leading to her arrest on August 11. Monster dramatizes this in early episodes, with Bridget suggesting poison and the pair studying plant properties. Episode two depicts a grotesque fantasy: the Bordens violently vomiting bouillabaisse, unknowingly purging the poison. After the attempt fails, Bridget proposes an axe instead: “An axe is the most personal way of killing someone,” she says. “Put all your feelings in the swing. Make it personal and give it your signature.” The series literally shows Bridget training Lizzie to swing a double-headed axe.

    Perhaps most controversially, the series incorporates Bertha Manchester (Linda Reiter), a real Fall River woman murdered with an axe nine months after the Borden killings and one week before jury selection. Episode three reorders events to make Lizzie Bertha’s murderer, retaliating against a homophobic cat-o’-nine-tails attack on Bridget. “Bertha Manchester’s the first one we kill,” says Bridget. “We have to make sure we know what we’re doing, and that we have our courage.” The pair wash blood off in a waterfall as The Doors’ “The End” plays. Historically, Bertha Manchester’s murder remains unsolved and unconnected to Lizzie Borden.

    Why This Matters

    Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story continues Ryan Murphy’s pattern of prioritizing sensational drama over historical fidelity in true crime adaptation. The series joins a century of reinterpretations—from Elizabeth Montgomery’s 1975 Emmy-winning The Legend of Lizzie Borden to Christina Ricci’s Lifetime films and Chloë Sevigny’s 2018 Lizzie—that have cemented the case in pop culture. By inventing a lesbian romance, a poisoning subplot, a practice murder, and extensive maid complicity, the show transforms an unsolved historical mystery into a stylized revenge fantasy. This matters because streaming platforms increasingly serve as primary history teachers for general audiences. When a prestige series starring Oscar nominees (Hall, Krieps) and produced by a hitmaker (Murphy) presents fiction as plausible narrative, it reshapes public understanding of a case that already suffers from folklore overwhelming fact. The real Lizzie Borden lived until 1927 in Fall River, ostracized but legally innocent; the Netflix version ensures the rhyme’s version of her—axe-wielding, guilty, and theatrical—endures for another generation.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Was Lizzie Borden actually guilty of murdering her parents?
    Lizzie Borden was acquitted at trial in 1893, and no one else was ever convicted. The historical record remains inconclusive; she was legally innocent but forever suspected in public opinion.
    Did Lizzie Borden and Bridget Sullivan have a romantic relationship?
    There is no historical evidence of a romantic or sexual relationship between Lizzie Borden and Bridget Sullivan. The lesbian affair is a dramatic invention common to nearly all screen adaptations of the case.
    Did Lizzie Borden murder Bertha Manchester as a “test run”?
    No. Bertha Manchester was a real Fall River woman murdered nine months after the Borden killings, but her case was never linked to Lizzie Borden. The series fabricates this connection entirely for dramatic purposes.
  • Vicky Krieps Plays Dual Roles in ‘Monsters: The Lizzie Borden Story’ as Characters Share Scenes

    Vicky Krieps Plays Dual Roles in ‘Monsters: The Lizzie Borden Story’ as Characters Share Scenes

    Key Highlights

    • Vicky Krieps portrays dual roles in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story — primary character Bridget ‘Maggie’ Sullivan and historical figure Countess Elizabeth Báthory in fantasy flashback sequences.
    • The fourth instalment of Ryan Murphy’s Netflix anthology premiered on 19 September 2024, dramatizing the unsolved 1892 axe murders of Andrew and Abby Borden in Fall River, Massachusetts.
    • Historical consultant Dr. Annouchka Bayley challenges the ‘Blood Countess’ legend, suggesting Báthory may have been the victim of a politically motivated witch hunt rather than a serial killer.

    Vicky Krieps Anchors Dual Roles in Latest Monster Anthology

    Luxembourg-born actress Vicky Krieps commands significant screen time in the fourth season of Netflix’s Monster anthology, Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, which debuted on 19 September 2024. The 42-year-old performer takes on a demanding dual assignment: her primary role as Bridget ‘Maggie’ Sullivan, the Bordens’ housekeeper, and a secondary portrayal of Countess Elizabeth Báthory — the infamous “Blood Countess” — in stylized fantasy flashback sequences filmed in Italy. The casting decision for Báthory came late in production, with co-creator Ian Brennan revealing to Tudum that the role remained unfilled until Ryan Murphy proposed Krieps. “That was all shot in Italy, so we knew that that would be at the end of the schedule anyway, and we just couldn’t think of who would do it or who seemed right,” Brennan explained. “It was Ryan’s idea. He pitched it to her and she loved it. Now it seems like such an obvious choice, but it actually came very late in the process.”

    A Catalyst for Chaos in the Borden Household

    As Bridget Sullivan, Krieps embodies what Brennan describes as a disruptive force within the repressed Borden family dynamic. “She’s like a foreign object that gets introduced to this ecosystem, and completely turns it on its head,” he told TV Insider. The character introduces Lizzie Borden (played by Ella Beatty) to literature, hair dye, sex toys, and the concept of revenge — elements that destabilize the rigid household headed by Andrew Borden (Charlie Hunnam) and his wife Abby (Rebecca Hall). “I think Lizzie’s just completely perplexed [by Bridget] at first. She becomes, very quickly, an object of deep fascination and then desire,” Brennan added. Beatty characterized her collaboration with Krieps as the “most incredible partner in crime,” a description that resonates given the series’ murder-centric narrative.

    Ryan Murphy’s Vision: A Feminist, Unapologetic Reimagining

    Krieps offered insight into Murphy’s creative direction for Bridget during an interview with Vanity Fair. “The way Ryan thought of it, she’s almost like a Mary Poppins that comes out of nowhere, who can be anyone from any time. Ryan said, ‘It’s women-driven, feminist, lesbian, dirty, unapologetic’.” This framing positions the series as a deliberate subversion of traditional true-crime storytelling, centering female agency and desire within a historical case that has long been sensationalized through a patriarchal lens. The Borden murders — Andrew and Abby Borden were hacked to death with an axe in August 1892 — resulted in Lizzie’s acquittal, though she lived under suspicion until her death in 1927 at age 66.

    The Blood Countess: Historical Horror as Narrative Mirror

    The Báthory flashbacks serve as a thematic counterpoint to Lizzie’s story. In the series, Maggie recounts the legend of the Hungarian noblewoman who allegedly bathed in the blood of virgins to preserve her youth. “She was completely restored,” Maggie tells Lizzie. “Because…blood is life.” Historical records accuse Elizabeth Báthory of torturing and killing hundreds of young women between 1590 and 1610 alongside four servants; she was imprisoned in Csejte Castle until her death in 1614, while her alleged accomplices were executed. The show depicts her bathing first in milk, then escalating to blood to achieve “pure white skin like a child.” Folklore links Báthory to the evil queen in Snow White, and the series draws explicit parallels: both women were accused of heinous crimes, neither was convicted, and both became cultural bogeymen.

    Why This Matters: Revisiting History Through a Revisionist Lens

    Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story continues Ryan Murphy’s anthology strategy of re-examining notorious criminal cases through contemporary social frameworks. By casting Krieps in dual roles — one grounded in historical documentation (Sullivan was a real witness at Lizzie’s trial), the other in mythologized history (Báthory) — the series interrogates how female violence is narrated, remembered, and often distorted. The inclusion of Dr. Annouchka Bayley’s scholarly challenge to the Báthory legend underscores a broader editorial intent: to question whether history’s most “monstrous” women were perpetrators or convenient targets for patriarchal suppression. Bayley, a Cambridge associate professor, told the BBC in 2024 after years of research: “I mean, who has the time in one lifetime to, one by one, kill 650 young women? I mean she would have been a busy girl.” She further argued that Báthory — “the first female self-publisher that we have on record” — was likely silenced because her literacy and independence threatened power structures: “And that’s arguably why she needed not only to be shut up, but erased from the history books and, where not erased, turned into a bogeyman. Lock up your daughters — because Báthory is going to come and drain them of their blood to keep her looking young.” This revisionist perspective aligns with the series’ feminist framing and invites viewers to apply similar skepticism to the Lizzie Borden narrative.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What two characters does Vicky Krieps play in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story?

    Krieps portrays Bridget ‘Maggie’ Sullivan, the Bordens’ housekeeper and a central figure in the main narrative, and Countess Elizabeth Báthory, the Hungarian “Blood Countess,” who appears in fantasy flashback sequences filmed in Italy.

    When did Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story premiere on Netflix?

    The fourth season of the Monster anthology premiered on Thursday, 19 September 2024.

    Is the Countess Elizabeth Báthory storyline historically accurate?

    The series dramatizes the legendary account of Báthory bathing in blood to preserve her youth. However, historian Dr. Annouchka Bayley has argued that Báthory may have been the victim of a politically motivated witch hunt, noting her status as an early female publisher and suggesting the 650-victim claim is logistically implausible. The show presents the legend as a story within the story, told by Maggie to Lizzie, rather than as established fact.

  • How to Watch ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ Season 4: Release Date, Cast

    How to Watch ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ Season 4: Release Date, Cast

    Ryan Murphy’s “Monster” anthology franchise is expanding once again, signaling continued growth for the true-crime focused universe.

    Murphy’s Anthology Strategy Evolves

    The “Monster”-verse, known for its dramatized portrayals of notorious criminals, appears set to add new installments. This development follows the pattern established by previous entries in the anthology series, which have explored high-profile criminal cases through a serialized lens.

    Anthology Format Drives Expansion

    Each season of the “Monster” franchise operates as a self-contained narrative, allowing the series to tackle distinct cases while maintaining a consistent brand identity. This structural flexibility has enabled Murphy to pursue new subjects without narrative constraints from prior seasons.

    The expansion suggests sustained audience interest in the true-crime anthology format and confidence in the franchise’s ability to attract viewership across multiple distinct storylines.

  • Lea Michele Reveals Whether She’d Return for a Glee Reboot

    Lea Michele Reveals Whether She’d Return for a Glee Reboot

    Lea Michele Remains Devoted to Glee Legacy as Ryan Murphy Hints at Potential Revival

    Lea Michele will forever be a gleek. After Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy suggested that he might one day revisit the musical comedy series—which ran for six seasons from 2009 to 2015—Michele shared her enduring connection to the show that launched her career.

    Murphy Opens Door to Future Glee Projects

    Ryan Murphy, the producer behind the Fox phenomenon, recently indicated the possibility of returning to the Glee universe. His comment that he might revisit the series has reignited speculation among fans about a potential reboot, reunion, or spin-off.

    Michele’s Lasting Bond with the Series

    Michele, who starred as Rachel Berry throughout the show’s six-season run, has consistently expressed her deep attachment to the series and its fanbase. Her identification as a gleek—the term adopted by the show’s dedicated followers—underscores the cultural impact the musical drama continues to hold for its cast and audience alike.

    The series, which aired from 2009 to 2015, became a global sensation, blending cover versions of popular songs with dramatic storylines centered on a high school glee club. It earned numerous awards, including Golden Globes and Emmys, and launched the careers of its ensemble cast.

    Legacy and Cultural Impact

    As streaming platforms reintroduce Glee to new generations, the show’s influence on musical television and pop culture remains significant. Murphy’s openness to revisiting the property suggests the story of New Directions may not be finished, while Michele’s steadfast fandom reflects the personal significance the project holds for its original stars.

  • Charlie Hunnam Details At-Home Rituals With Girlfriend Morgana McNelis

    Charlie Hunnam Details At-Home Rituals With Girlfriend Morgana McNelis

    Charlie Hunnam is focusing on appreciating life’s simple moments. The actor recently portrayed Andrew Borden, father of the infamous Lizzie Borden, in Ryan Murphy’s new Netflix series Monster: The Lizzie Borden…

  • The Shards Finale: Kaia Gerber Breaks Down Killer Theories, Shelley Duvall Moment

    The Shards Finale: Kaia Gerber Breaks Down Killer Theories, Shelley Duvall Moment

    [This story contains MAJOR spoilers from The Shards finale, “Stairway to Heaven.”]

    FX’s The Shards concluded its first season by turning every main character into a suspect. After nine episodes of a serial killer dubbed “The Trawler” terrorizing 1981 Los Angeles, the Ryan Murphy adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ novel ends with police questioning the core group: Bret (Igby Rigney), Robert (Homer Gere), Debbie (Hayes Warner), her mother (Evan Rachel Wood), Steven (Jordan Roth), Thom (Graham Campbell), Ryan (Daniel Dale), and Susan (Kaia Gerber).

    Kaia Gerber on the Finale’s Cliffhanger and Susan’s Suspect Status

    Gerber acknowledges that queen-bee high schooler Susan potentially being the serial killer — or the person who threw Debbie’s father, Terry (Wes Bentley), off a balcony in the finale — comes as a surprise. Yet she confirms the possibility is very real.

    “We know it’s one of us,”

    she tells The Hollywood Reporter of the ending.

    While Ellis’ novel never explicitly revealed The Trawler’s identity, Gerber is confident the series will eventually solve the mystery. Murphy previously told THR that he and Ellis planned three or four seasons, with this finale covering roughly one-third of the book. With ample runway left, every character remains a viable suspect — including Susan.

    “It’s hard for me to empathize with Susan in certain moments — the relentless winning is infuriating. I like that everyone is very complicated and layered in their own ways,”

    she says.

    Casting Susan: From Fan Interaction to Ryan Murphy’s Call

    Gerber’s path to the role began years before production. She had worked with Murphy on American Horror Story season 10, calling it her first professional acting job.

    “I’ve always felt, in such a large way, that he started my career and gave me an opportunity before anyone else did. I always wanted to work with him again. I’m such a fan.”

    A chance meeting with Ellis around the book’s release proved pivotal.

    “I just want to tell you, I’ve read everything you’ve ever written, and I’m reading The Shards right now. I think the amount of love you have for these characters, and particularly the female characters, you can see it and feel it in the writing, and I just wanted to say that.”

    Ellis’ response was immediate.

    “You are Susan.”

    Gerber disagreed.

    “I’m nothing like Susan.”

    Ellis demurred.

    “I don’t know what we’re doing with it”

    — noting the project wasn’t yet in Murphy’s hands.

    Four years later, Murphy called in February 2024.

    “Hey, I don’t know if you know this book, The Shards, but I’m making it and Bret and I agree you should play Susan.”

    Gerber’s response:

    “Okay. Literally whatever you want!”

    But she questioned the casting logic.

    “I don’t know what quality of mine you think is right for Susan.”

    Six months of preparation followed. Meeting the ensemble cast eased the pressure.

    “Well, maybe it is something I can’t really explain and just something about me.”

    Filming deepened her connection to the character.

    “As we were filming, I was like, ‘I don’t know if they’re writing to me or if I’m starting to become more like Susan,’ but as the series progressed, and as we got new scripts, I felt closer to Susan. When you spend a long enough time playing someone, you can’t help but love them and feel protective over them and empathize with them.”

    Navigating Famous Lineage and On-Screen Chemistry

    Murphy addressed the inevitable comparisons stemming from Gerber (daughter of Cindy Crawford) and Gere (son of Richard Gere) sharing famous parents. He insisted he wouldn’t proceed unless all parties were comfortable.

    “People are obviously going to point this out.”

    Gerber found the concern unwarranted once filming began.

    “Homer just happened to be the right person for this role. Regardless of our history or our parents’ history, the incredible and relieving thing is that as soon as we started filming, Homer was perfect for this role. And it would not have been fair or right if it went to somebody else just to avoid all the other stuff that goes with it, which really is just noise and not as significant, I think, as the work.”

    Murphy remained an accessible collaborator.

    “What do I wear? I’m panicking and I’m scared.”

    Gerber recalls texting him an hour before the New York premiere.

    The Vogue Interview and Vulnerability

    A joint Vogue profile with Gere, written by psychiatrist Rob Haskell, felt unexpectedly therapeutic.

    “I think that Rob [Haskell, writer] had the same effect on both of us. He’s very disarming, and he’s also a psychiatrist. So very quickly, I forgot that I was doing the interview, which could be a very scary thing, and probably scary to hear for a publicist. (Laughs.) But it was clear to me that he’s a very kind person who doesn’t take vulnerability for granted. I trusted that he would handle it with care, and I really think he did. Both Homer and I were like, ‘He has a way of getting you to open up.’ I was grateful that he treated that with respect and kindness. It didn’t feel too exposing, which I was grateful for.”

    Living Susan’s High School Fantasy

    Susan’s effortless popularity — prom queen, class president, constant winner — offered Gerber a vicarious experience.

    “All of it. I wanted to be class president very badly, and I lost the election tragically. So it was really fun to film those scenes where I was giving speeches or addressing the student body — and you’re fully aware that the background [actors] are being paid. They were doing their job well because there were moments where I genuinely believed they were clapping for me, and not for the sake of the scene, which I realize they were. (Laughs.) I think I would never want to go back to high school, but it was fun to exist in that time, and be that age with the freedom and carelessness that especially opens the season. We had so much fun filming those first few episodes, because it was a lot about young teenage freedom and excess and access.”

    Season Two Hopes and Book Divergences

    With the series covering roughly one-third of the novel, Gerber is eager to continue.

    “Yes, as a fan of a book, there’s so much in the book that that we didn’t get to cover in season one. One of the most iconic scenes from the novel is the balcony fight between Bret and Robert. Then there’s Palm Springs… There’s so much in the book we didn’t get to cover, so hopefully the plan is to get to go back and do more.”

    Murphy’s expansions — including the original “Dance Off!” episode — open narrative possibilities beyond the source material.

    “That’s the exciting part. The book is 100 percent from Bret’s POV. You don’t see anything Bret hasn’t himself witnessed or imagined happened. Whereas in our show, we’re following all these different characters, even when Bret is not present. Suddenly, there are these whole new worlds. I appreciated as one of the characters who isn’t Bret that we’re getting to know Susan outside of Bret’s idea of who she is in relation to him.”

    She praises the added material.

    “”Dance Off!” was completely a Ryan brainchild, which was so fun to film, along with “Really Rhonda” and getting all of these other things to explore to expand on the world that Bret so genius-ly created.”

    The Finale Attack: Was It Thom?

    The finale’s attack on Susan diverges from the novel, where she and Thom are assaulted together. Gerber filmed the sequence without Campbell present.

    “Is it Thom? Or is it not Thom?”

    She wondered during production.

    “When we filmed it, I was so certain it wasn’t Thom. Mainly because Graham wasn’t there. We filmed my whole attack with the incredible stunt guy, Troy Brown, who I actually have known since I was 12 years old, so it was very nice to have a familiar face — who is trying to stab me to death. If you’re going to be in that situation, it’s lovely when it’s someone that you know. I want to shout out to Troy for really selling that kick, because I don’t think I would have been able to fight someone off in that way.”

    Logistics complicated her read.

    “We filmed it, and I screamed in the bathroom for a lot longer. We would reset from there, and then Graham got there later in the day to barge in. So I think because I screamed for a long time, I was like, ‘There really is time for Thom to have come in.’”

    Watching the finished episode shifted her theory.

    “But then when I watched the finale, I was like, ‘I think it might be Thom, actually!’ And when we walk out and look for the body and don’t see it, then I was like, ‘I think maybe it is Thom.’ So, the jury is still out, but I convinced myself that it was Thom for the sake of Susan then accusing Thom.”

    A “Shelley Duvall Moment” and the Physical Toll

    The bathroom attack script explicitly referenced The Shining.

    “Her Shelley Duvall moment.”

    Gerber, a longtime admirer, keeps a signed Shelley Duvall poster on her wall.

    “I’ll never reach what Shelley did, but at least I know what we’re aiming for and the level of terror. This was probably the most scream queens moment I’ve gotten to have.”

    The sequence required 20 to 30 takes.

    “We would do it from the very beginning until Graham would come in and I’d end screaming in the bathroom, hyperventilating. Then we’d reset, which is where I’m fully asleep and get woken up by the phone. So getting your heart rate back down in the span of 20 seconds while they reset, and getting the tears out of my eyes to then be in a very peaceful, cozy sleep mode was the most challenging part. Just calming my nervous system as we were resetting from that screaming, hyperventilating in the bathroom moment.”

    The Trawler’s Identity and the AIDS Metaphor

    Gerber has a private theory on the killer.

    “I don’t know who did it, but I have my suspicion, for sure. And it’s not an obvious one.”

    Filming Terry’s balcony death proved emotionally complex. Bentley’s kindness contrasted sharply with Terry’s menace.

    “For the opening to episode nine, which I think is one of the greatest finale openings ever, I went first in pushing Terry off the balcony. Wes [Bentley] is such a great guy; such a kind, incredible person, which is ironic that he always plays these villainous characters when there’s nothing villainous about him. I don’t think there’s a mean bone in his body.”

    They shared few scenes prior.

    “I hadn’t really interacted with Terry that much in the show. We hadn’t really done scenes together. So it was really challenging for me to feel genuine rage while looking at sweet Wes’ face, but he was so supportive and really can lock in when he has to. Right when they were rolling, he’d go into creepy Terry, which made it easier to scream at him and push him. Then as soon as the take was done, he’d be like, ‘Sweetie, that was great!’ He made it so much easier, but it was challenging to try and come up with reason enough to push sweet Wes off a balcony.”

    Online speculation runs rampant.

    “There are so many theories, too — I’ve read all the Reddit threads. I get a new conspiracy theory every time.”

    Murphy has framed The Trawler as a metaphor for the AIDS epidemic. Gerber believes the show will ultimately name a human culprit.

    “I think so, yes. One-hundred percent. That’s why you do a mystery and a thriller. But the wonderful thing about all of Ryan’s shows is they’re massively entertaining on a wide scale, and you don’t have to look deeper into them if you don’t want to and can still enjoy them massively. But Ryan always, always has a deeper meaning to everything. It’s always a metaphor for something, something very poignant and serious and real. You can take it at face value and enjoy it for what it is, or you can look deeper and there will always be a deeper reason for it.”

    She finds the metaphor resonant.

    “Hearing Ryan talk about particularly the metaphor for AIDS and what AIDS meant to him, and that AIDS was quite literally a thing killing beautiful young people in the ’80s; people who felt untouchable and invincible. That doesn’t have to be at the forefront of your mind while watching it, but I do think it’s really interesting to think about how that is a thing that it could be a metaphor for.”

    On Palm Royale Cancellation

    Gerber addressed the cancellation of Apple TV+’s Palm Royale after one season.

    “I was really sad, but also, it was my longest job I ever did up until that point and to be surrounded by literally every acting comedy hero I’ve ever had? It was four years. It was like going to university. It was the most sad thinking, ‘Wait, am I not going to get to hang out with these people who have become my family?’ But I’ve been comforted by how we’ve all stayed really close. I went up and visited Carol [Burnett] two months ago and had dinner with her. We’ve all stayed very close, so I think that’s been helpful. But we do miss it.”

    The Shards season one is now streaming in its entirety on Hulu.