Emmys: Jessica Lange on ‘American Horror Story’

Constance Langdon is not a neighbor you want to borrow a cup of sugar from, and you most definitely should beware when she comes bearing home-baked gifts (or, for that matter, "sweet breads"). And yet as portrayed by Jessica Lange, who came into American Horror Story with two Oscars and an Emmy on her mantel, the Harmon family's oft unwelcome visitor did not repel, she but regaled us. Thus far, Lange has netted a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe for her first venture into series television — might another Emmy make her housewarming complete?

AWARDSLINE: When you first started seeing the American Horror Story scripts, did you suspect the role of Constance could be Emmy-worthy?

LANGE: I didn't really know what to think. We were shooting really fast, so I don't think anybody was thinking about the outcome as much as the process of getting through it. This was the first time I'd ever done this kind of television — a miniseries — and not being all that familiar with the world of TV, I didn't have any frame of reference. So when the performances started getting recognition, yes, it did kind of surprise me. I mean, I knew how good the writing was, and I knew there was a great deal that I could do with it — it's a big character with a huge range of emotions.

AWARDSLINE: Given how dicey the subject matter could get, how did you find the humanity amidst of all this surreality?

LANGE: I just paid attention to creating this character and playing her as absolutely real as I could, in the context of all this other stuff. I really didn't think in terms of the overall sweep of the piece, or the tone of it.

AWARDSLINE: Because of the intensity of the material, was it a particularly galvanizing experience for the cast?

LANGE: I can't speak for the others, but I know that for me there were moments where it was like, 'Wow, I can't believe that they've written this!' [Laughs] It's always a leap of faith. The only thing you can think about is: What are you given to do, and how well do you do it?

AWARDSLINE: Was there a past performance of yours that informed your portrayal of Constance? Was it Queen Tamora in Titus? Maggie in TV's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof?

LANGE: Certainly there were moments where I felt that there were shades of Tennessee Williams — because she's Southern and because it was about failed dreams and disappointment, and loneliness. Those themes crop up in a lot of Tennessee's women — like with Blanche [in A Streetcar Named Desire] or Amanda Wingfield [The Glass Menagerie]. But that's really where the comparison ends. Constance's actual behavior has nothing to do with any character I've ever played before.

AWARDSLINE: How did doing a TV miniseries shape you as an actress?

LANGE: It shifted something profoundly, because this piece forced me to work in a way I've never worked before, and that was with complete immediacy — and in some odd way it was very liberating. It forced me to be extremely bold. I couldn't approach this with any kind of trepidation, and in that way it felt expansive to me.

AWARDSLINE: Would you concede that Constance is a despicable person? Or was she coming from a place of misplaced love?

LANGE: Certainly you can look at her actions and say that she was horrendous. However, in the playing of it I had to find her humanity, and I did that through her emotion and her capacity for love. The fact that it was so twisted in many ways came out of circumstances rather than the essence of the character. What I kind of loved about her is she did not mince words. Sometimes, like when you hear her speaking to her daughter or in a scene with her son, as a mother [myself] I was like, 'Oh my God!' But again, there was something very enjoyable about playing someone who was no-holds-barred.

AWARDSLINE: She certainly stood out in today's ever-PC climate.

LANGE: I thought she was kind of a throwback to another time, pre-political correctness, when people said things that would now be seen as shocking. Like some of the dames from the films in the '30s — hard and rough-talking but honest and forthright. Yes, we had scenes where what she did was reprehensible and criminal, but there was an element to her I found very refreshing.

AWARDSLINE: With the next chapter of American Horror Story, you have the rare opportunity to create a new character. How will your insane asylum administrator differ from Constance?

LANGE: It's a different time [set in the 1960s] first of all, and she comes from a completely different background. There's also different geography [being set on the East Coast], and that informs a character tremendously. So without giving away too much, I think there are similarities — they both have a history, and I'm not entirely stellar! [Laughs] — but that's probably where the paths diverge. She is very different from what I've played. It's going to be another wild ride!

— Matt Webb Mitovich is editor-at-large at TV Line.