Sarah Paulson says that portraying Linda Tripp in the upcoming American Crime Story: Impeachment is terrifying. Executive produced by Ryan Murphy, the anthology crime series is one of Murphy and Paulson’s latest collaborations, following Ratched season 1 and American Horror Story’s success. Initially, the third installment of American Crime Story was slated to premiere last fall on FX but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Debuting in 2016, the first season of American Crime Story, which tackled the O.J. Simpson murder trial events, was a critical success and garnered a Golden Globe win for Paulson for her portrayal of prosecutor Marcia Clark. Continuing to chronicle famous crimes from the ‘90s, season 2 focused on the assassination of fashion designer Gianni Versace. Last year, it was announced that the third season of American Crime Story would zero in on the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, as told from Lewinksy’s point of view, with Paulson tapped to portray Linda Tripp. Tripp worked with Lewinsky in the Pentagon’s public affairs department and was a close confidante to Lewinsky. Now, Paulson has opened up about how it feels to play the iconic public figure.
Speaking with EW, Paulson reveals that portraying Linda Tripp has been “totally terrifying.” Fresh off the announcement of a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Nurse Mildred in Ratched, Paulson states that putting herself into Tripp’s shoes has been challenging. Paulson elaborated that, “Linda behaved in ways that were truly questionable. The real challenge of playing her is trying to find a way not to justify her actions, but to understand them enough that I can play that truthfully because standing in judgment of her only complicates my job.”
Of course, as one of the most acclaimed performers of her generation, Paulson appears to be adamant about stepping in Linda Tripp’s complex shoes without judgment and reveals that her work in Impeachment is “exciting to do.” Indeed, the announcement of Paulson as Tripp and Clive Owen as Bill Clinton, Beanie Feldstein as Lewinsky, and Betty Gilpin as Ann Coulter has garnered anticipation for the series, which is reportedly three episodes into filming.
Based on Jeffrey Tobin’s book A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down A President, Impeachment will be a great platform to showcase the attached cast’s talents. Paulson as Linda Tripp has been one of the most anticipated works of her career. Given Paulson’s ability to tackle the terrifying and inhabit her roles, she is the ideal choice to portray the prominent figure in the scandal covered in American Crime Story: Impeachment.
