Cody Fern entered the Ryan Murphy extended universe earlier this year in American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace as David Madson, one of Andrew Cunanan’s first victims. The role helped launch Fern’s career and earned him a place in Murphy’s stable of regulars, landing him the prize role of Michael Langdon — aka the Antichrist — in American Horror Story: 啟示. Ahead of tonight’s finale, OUT chatted with the Australian actor about his experience working with legends like Sarah Paulson and Jessica Lange, whether or not he’d return for another season of AHS, what is was like to wear that gorgeous wig and what’s in store for Michael in the Apocalypse finale.
What is it like to play the Antichrist?
It’s been the greatest privilege of my acting career so far. Between this and Versace, ff for some reason the apocalypse came tonight, I’d be pretty happy with what I’ve done.
How much did you know going into the season?
I didn’t know anything, I didn’t even know the theme, we found out when everybody else found out. We did know obviously that there had been an apocalypse, but I found out that I was playing Michael Langdon two days before we started filming. My first scene was the interrogation with Venable {Sarah Paulson). All that Ryan had told me was that I’d be wearing a long, blonde wig and that I would have an affinity for capes. I went into the piece thinking I was the protagonist.
你認為在某種程度上, 迈克尔係《啟示錄》的主角?
我諗佢係, 但從我角度嚟睇. 我知道女巫係主角, 尤其是科迪莉亚 (保尔森). 喺好多方面都系科文故事嘅延續, 但運行平行嘅故事, 我如何看待迈克尔, 係好反骨, 破碎, 失去一個後生仔邊個搵到佢嘅方式到世界末日, 因為情況, 唔係因為命運.
有一個自然同自然嘅對話. 培養: 我哋係謀殺之家知道, 有邪惡嘅迈克尔由出生, 如果有 #8217, 佢就唔會謀殺他的保姆了, 但喺下半賽季, 他已經好清楚自己輸咗, 畀人有自己議程操縱了 ".
我哋見到佢係 15 當佢大個咗 10 年隔夜, 而我一直扮演迈克尔嘅方式係, 謀殺係一種衝動, 他無法控制, 佢唔明. 他的意識係一個6岁嘅仔, 當佢係一個青少年, 但他努力接受佢嘅身體同緊佢的欲望, 但佢未完全形成. 當你跟埋佢嘅時候, 對我黎講迈克尔嘅故事係一個比喻. 有兩種看待魔鬼故事的方式: D 人對聖經的解讀, 同呢個極的對立面, 路西法如此愛上帝, 他拒絕在男人面前低頭. 喺呢度, 我哋有上帝最鍾意嘅天使喺呢個王國, 然後, 他被要求喺上帝嘅下一個製作前低頭, 最終導致他被趕出天堂, 並不昰講路西法係錯嘅. 然後人類就會去毀滅地球. 就係我哋而家攪緊嘅, 我們正在毀滅地球, 佢好似冇悔意. 我真系同迈克尔一齊放係 D 上, 呢個喺天國被拋棄的小男孩, 誰被趕出了正常的社會嚴峻考驗, 係 D 人認為可以接受嘅, 然後被使用, 濫用, 遺棄和破碎, 當你生活中冇鍾意既時候會發生咩, 能量去哪裏了?
One of the ways I’ve been reading this season is a commentary about the state of gender politics. The warlocks essentially bring about Armageddon by attempting to topple the matriarchal power the witches have over the coven. Michael in a way is this avatar for misogyny and male entitlement. Was that intentional?
I absolutely believe that was intentional. The thing about Ryan Murphy is he’s able to weave these incredible social commentaries into this fascinating world he’s created. Certainly in this season we are looking at bringing down the patriarchy, about what happens when a matriarchal society is enforced and the hubris of men begins to take flight. It’s not dissimilar to what’s happening in society today or what has been happening for hundreds of years. Ryan certainly weaves that into his writing. The gender battle is being fought and Michael is the avatar for it but is certainly not a part of of it. He is manipulated into this gender battle but he himself is not misogynistic, but there’s certainly something to be said for the fact that he needs a very strong mother figure in his life and has mommy issues. His mother (Connie Britton) tries to kill him in the Murder House, Constance (Jessica Lange) commits suicide, Cordelia takes away Mead and he has this robot who he has to program into loving him. I think he has an enormous respect for Cordelia. He needs strong women in his life, and if he just took Cordelia’s hand when she offered it, if he just overcame his insatiable thirst for revenge, he could’ve gone another way.
One of the standout episodes of the season was “Return to Murder House,” what was it like to find out that not only was Jessica Lange returning but that you’d get to act opposite her?
My ovaries exploded. I can’t begin to describe to you how overwhelmed I was. The first scene I shot with Jessica was the scene where Michael finds her dead body after she’s committed suicide, and I was so excited and nervous and afraid of that scene that I spent the whole day shaking like a life. 當我哋去到佢既時候, 我非常興奮和不知所措, 係好難令我陷入混亂周圍, 我要埋. 莎拉, 边个只是世上最傑出的人更不用說最辛苦嘅工作同最有才華的人, 掹住我隻手話, "唔好怕呢 D, 你一定要真正去嗰度,"然後開玩笑地說, "想象一下, 最後如果你唔明, 杰西卡會認為你是個爛演員" 太可怕了! 我梗係識喺埲牆上移開, that’s what was blocking me, I was so afraid of judgement, that wasn’t coming from Jessica of course, it was coming from myself and my own process. Working with Jessica will go down as one of my life’s greatest achievements.
What was it like to not only act alongside Sarah Paulson but to be directed by her in “Return to Murder House?”
One of the greatest joys. As an actor, to step into the director’s chair, you have a certain upper hand because you understand how actors work and how to communicate with actors. 萨拉好來自一個絕對尊重藝術家情感過程嘅地方. 首先都係最重要嘅係佢你是一個藝術家, 引起了如此非凡嘅表演, 因為你有咁多嘅信任佢, 所以你肯俾佢任何嘢同一切. 佢有一個如此聰明的導演, 睇住佢目瞪口呆, 並喺最極端的壓力下工作可以想象. 在拍攝的同時, 她不僅在另一集演了比利·迪安和科迪莉亚, 她不得不拍攝 72 場景. 相比之下,, 情節之前有 32, 所以佢拍攝幾乎雙倍的任何其他導演在該系列拍攝, 而發揮兩個其他字符喺其他兩個情節與不到一周的準備, 確實係一個壯舉.
佢梗係戴咗好多帽…講到呢, 你自己都有堂好特別嘅帽. 我哋嚟傾下個假髮.
我中意個假髮. If I could wear that wig on a daily basis I would. Wearing that wig was everything.
How long does it take to get into the Rubber Man suit?
It takes about 20 minutes and a lot of lube, and once you’re in it you’re in it, you can’t take it off. So I was in that suit for 16 hours. I think I held the record for being in the suit the longest.
Can you settle this debate: was Michael the Rubber Man suit who has sex with Gallant (Evan Peters)?
No, not physically anyway. The Rubber Man is also a demon, so when someone is wearing the suit, 佢哋成為膠人, 但當冇人着西裝嘅時間, 膠人--透過謀殺之家的力量--變成了惡魔, 那個惡魔喺好多方面都係由蘭登控制嘅. 蘭登利用佢所掌握嘅一切手段嚟扭曲和操縱和提取一個人內心的欲望, 佢畫出佢哋嘅影子自我, 佢識玩嗰個影子, 創造一些場景, 引誘一個人屈服於他們內心的邪惡. Because the Rubber Man is there and then Gallant realizes he’s killed Evie (Joan Collins). There’s some mind games going on there in how Michael reveals Gallant’s innermost desire, which is deeply Oedipal, because we [we wonder], is he fucking his grandmother? Because the realization is that the Rubber Man is Evie and he’s just slaughtered her in his bed. There’s so many layers of darkness there. That’s certainly how I thought about it.
I’m sure you can’t reveal anything about the finale tonight, but can you tease a bit about how Michael’s journey ends?
There’s something deeply beautiful and tragic about the way that the story ends for Michael. It was genuinely one of the hardest scenes that I shot in the series. The end of the series, knowing that this was going to be the last time I — I’m getting sad about it now — I loved Michael so much, the past nine days since we finished filming it have been very hard. I loved Michael so much and I wanted so much for him, I just wanted love for him. The way the series ends for Michael is very moving.
Are you open to returning for another season of AHS?
Oh my god, in a heartbeat. The experience is beyond comparison. Moving forward there will hopefully be great triumphs in my career, hopefully I’ll get to play characters that are as complex and layered as Michael, but this will forever have been the most formative experience of my acting career and of my development as an artist. To work with these extraordinary women at such an early point in my career, 同莎拉·保尔森同弗朗西丝·康罗伊一齊工作--操我, 弗朗西丝·康罗伊係最有才華的人之一, 努力工作, 激烈嘅女演員. 同嘉菲比斯和琼·柯林斯合作, 名單上繼續. 同比利·波特在同一個房間里, 邊個係美國嘅寶貝. 成個經歷是如此的非凡同神奇. 我知道我永遠唔會有噉嘅人, 那一刻, 唔見咗. 我會在心跳中回來.