Thank Jessica Lange For Sarah Paulson’s Incredible ‘American Crime Story’ Performance

Sarah Paulson has always been a very good actress — she and Amanda Peet, who’s also doing fantastic work on Togetherness this season, were the only good things about Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip — but she’s been next-level great on American Crime Story: The People v. O. J. Simpson. Flashy performances in Ryan Murphy shows don’t always deserve awards, but the Emmys can’t throw enough trophies Paulson’s way. Speaking of Murphy: he had already worked with Paulson in Nip/Tuck, but had no plans to cast her in American Horror Story, his FX anthology series. That is, until Jessica Lange, who previously acted alongside her future-AHS scene-partner in The Glass Menagerie on Broadway in 2005, cornered him at a charity event.

“[Jessica Lange] had just gotten into town to start doing season one of American Horror Story, and L.A. is not really her town,” says Paulson, who is featured in the current issue of PEOPLE. “She didn’t know a ton of people so we were spending a lot of time together.”

Also at the event was Ryan Murphy… “At one point, Jessica just threw her arm around me and said to Ryan, ‘Oh, can’t you find something for Sarah to do on the show? She’s going to be in town now.’ And he said, ‘Oh. Yeah. I think I could do that.'” (Via)

Thank you, Jessica Lange. The world is better for having this GIF in it.

Give Paulson two Emmys: one for her, and one for her eyebrows.

(Via People)