{
  "id": 9826638,
  "title": "Sarah Paulson Shares the Scream Queen Secret She Learned on ‘American Horror Story’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/sarah-paulson-shares-the-scream-queen-secret-she-learned-on-american",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-25T20:01:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TheWrap",
    "slug": "thewrap",
    "url": "https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/tv-shows/sarah-paulson-american-horror-story-protecting-scream-freak-show/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sarah Paulson, the Emmy Award-winning actress, revealed a significant lesson she learned during her early days on the show \"American Horror Story.\" According to Paulson, her main rookie mistake was overusing her voice for intense screaming scenes, which ultimately left her with a hoarse or lost voice. To combat this issue, she admitted to relying on steroid shots, though she clarified these were administered in her backside, not her throat.\n\nWhen asked about her technique for acting opposite herself as conjoined twins Bette and Dot in the \"Freak Show\" season, Paulson shared that she devised the idea of using an earpiece to better synchronize her voice with her own dialogue. She explained that by pre-recording her lines in the morning, she could switch between the twin roles during different takes, effectively doubling as her own puppeteer. At times, a prosthetic head was used, while other scenes required her to physically manipulate a puppet head.\n\nPaulson admitted that juggling two characters could be mentally taxing, often likening the experience to trying to pat her head and rub her stomach simultaneously. Despite the challenge, she appreciated the guidance from the show's creator, Ryan Murphy, who offered her a compassionate perspective and helped her learn to be a bit more forgiving of herself.",
  "summary": "The actress also breaks down the logistics of acting opposite herself in \"American Horror Story: Freak Show\" The post Sarah Paulson Shares the Scream Queen Secret She Learned on ‘American Horror Story’ appeared first on TheWrap .",
  "key_points": [
    "Sarah Paulson learned overusing scream caused hoarse voice",
    "Used earpiece to sync voice for conjoined twin roles",
    "Found Ryan Murphy's guidance helpful for mental load"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}