Sarah Paulson
Birthday: 17 December 1974, Tampa, Florida, USA
Birth Name: Sarah Catharine Paulson
Height: 168 cm
Sarah Paulson was born on December 17, 1974 in Tampa, Florida, to Catharine Gordon (Dolcater) and Douglas Lyle Paulson II. She spent most of her early years in New York and Maine, before settling in M ...Show More
If my life choices had to be predicated based on what was expected of me from a community on either Show more
If my life choices had to be predicated based on what was expected of me from a community on either side, that's going to make me feel really straitjacketed, and I don't want to feel that. What I can say absolutely is that I am in love, and that person happens to be Holland Taylor. Hide
[on being directed by Steve McQueen] The main thing that we would talk about was a carriage, a postu Show more
[on being directed by Steve McQueen] The main thing that we would talk about was a carriage, a posture, and [Mary Epp's] own sort of loftiness, her ideas about herself. He gave me an image which was very helpful - to be a figurine or doll on top of a cake..It was a very good note to give me, because then every time I walked out, the thing that was most important to me was that I had a kind of statuesque stillness. I was unfussy and immovable. Those little statues that you pick up and stick somewhere. They just stand. They never lean. Hide
[on developing the role of Mary Epps] I was never afraid of the question of whether she could be lik Show more
[on developing the role of Mary Epps] I was never afraid of the question of whether she could be liked, because I feel - as an actress - it's none of my business whether you like me or not. It's my job to play this character as authentically and truthfully and with as much commitment as possible - no matter how horrible she is perceived and how deplorable her actions are - and they are. I had to find a way into that. She behaves deplorably and does terrible,terrible, unspeakable things but in her mind they are defensible..It s my belief that Mrs Epps is not a particularly deep or complicated woman.. I am not saying this as an excuse for her behavior or defending her behavior. I'm just saying from an acting standpoint, it's not interesting for me nor is it possible that a person just walks around doing such things horrible things without motivation. Hide
[on '12 Years a Slave'] What surprises me, I guess, is how powerful it is. Because I read the script Show more
[on '12 Years a Slave'] What surprises me, I guess, is how powerful it is. Because I read the script, I knew about all the moments that were there - the scene where he is hanging, and all that whipping, all of these things that I could read on the page. But what I think is so great and powerful about the movie is that when you put a real image to it, connect it to a person that you have connected with as the audience, it becomes personal. It takes it to a whole other level of comprehension. That's why I think it is so effective. Hide
I like to work and I like to work with great actors and great directors and great material - and the Show more
I like to work and I like to work with great actors and great directors and great material - and there isn't a ton of it. It's not overflowing. My cup doesn't runneth over in opportunity that way. To me, this was the opportunity to act something that was so opposite of who I am as a person.. Someone quite famous whose name I won't mention told me, 'I can't believe you did that part. I couldn't have done that. She was too horrible. I could never have done it'. But it would never occur to me to not take a part because something would be hard or complicated or tough for an audience to watch. Hide
Sarah Paulson's FILMOGRAPHY
as Actor (167)
Sarah Paulson'S roles
