Sarah Paulson and Cody Fern are collaborating on a new project called Closing Night, marking a reunion that is decidedly not within the American Horror Story universe. The film represents Fern’s directorial debut and stars Paulson alongside Dianne Wiest. In the story, Paulson plays a movie star who reunites with her estranged family.
TheWrap reported that the trio visited their studio at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday for an interview with Casey Loving. During the conversation, Paulson described being “blown away” by a new side of her former co-star. She specifically noted that she was shocked by Fern’s writing ability for the script.
Paulson explained that Fern wrote the role specifically for her. She admitted that, for her, “there’s nothing worse” than having a part written with her in mind, as it triggers immediate worry about disappointing the writer. However, in this instance, her reaction was primarily one of surprise at the quality of the material.
Fern acknowledged that writing the role for Paulson was perhaps “presumptuous. ” He stated that the decision stemmed from his experience working with her in front of the camera on American Horror Story. Fern cited the “remarkable places” Paulson can go with a character as the reason he felt confident in letting her explore the role.