[This story contains a major spoiler from the first 12 episodes of American Horror Story season 13, heading into the Oct. 29 finale.]
It’s a small club of actors who have ever received a call from Ryan Murphy to be told they are the lead in his next show, and Joey Pollari remembers that day well. His kinship with the prolific TV creator really kicked up when the actor was working as a production assistant on the red carpet for Murphy’s 2025 series Doctor Odyssey, with that gig soon leading to roles in the Monster franchise, The Beauty and now, the all-star season of American Horror Story.
“Ryan said, ‘I’m calling you because you’re going to be the lead of the next American Horror Story.’ I was rendered speechless,” Pollari (who also starred in American Crime) tells The Hollywood Reporter of being cast in season 13 of the hit FX horror anthology as Ben DeSoto, the starring character who began as a boyfriend with a debilitating case of triskaidekaphobia (the fear of the number 13) and is ending the season as the son of Satan (yes, that Satan). “I only knew that he would be the entry point for meeting these characters,” he says of the devilish surprise. “I’m very grateful that [Ryan] has seen something in me. It’s been transformative, to say the least.”
But the penultimate week of the 13th season left even the devil’s spawn in harm’s way, as Ben, Cordelia (Sarah Paulson) and Queenie (Gabourey Sidibe) were overtaken by Ben’s satanic father (who is played by both Fedor Steer and Paul Anthony Kelly). Below, Pollari reveals more of how his role came to be, what it was like having so many scenes with AHS royalty Jessica Lange (whose characters were the source of a major revelation heading into the finale) and Emma Roberts, and if he sees more AHS in his future after season 13 ends.
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You’ve been in a string of Ryan Murphy shows recently (Monster: The Ed Gein Story, The Beauty and Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story). Did you get a call about American Horror Story season 13 or have to audition?
Ryan [Murphy] called me. He said, “I’m calling you because you’re going to be the lead of the next American Horror Story.” I was rendered speechless. And he really did lay it out. I don’t know how many of the scripts were written at that time. I don’t think they were fully formulated. But he told me what it would be like and who I would be working with.
It’s funny to go back to that moment, and just think, “Wow, this is unbelievable.”
Who on the cast was signed on at that point?
Jessica [Lange]. He said, “You’re going to have many, many scenes with Jessica Lange.” And that’s a, hell yes. (Laughs.) He told me what my character would be, how I’d be introducing the [AHS] lore and be the gateway to all of these other characters returning. He named many people, all of whom were back. So I got a very clear preview.
Then being on set was something else entirely. To get to get act with Jessica Lange is no small potatoes.
I don’t know if you’ve seen, but people are calling you Ryan’s “muse.” Does it feel like you are a muse of his? Can you talk about your relationship with him?
Well, during the period of the extended pandemic, I was working as an event PA. There would be events for premieres and FYC events, and I would work red carpets to greet everybody, the camera people, et cetera. In August of 2024, I was called to do a Doctor Odyssey [a Murphy show] premiere. The night before the event, I was steaming 20-foot curtains on a ladder while listening to the Power of Now audiobook and getting through the day of work. And the next day, I was on that carpet for Doctor Odyssey. It was a blue carpet. I vacuumed it, gave everyone their markers [on the carpet] and water bottles. And 40 minutes later, Ryan Murphy walked that carpet.
Six weeks to the day of that premiere, I got a call to audition for Monster: The Ed Gein Story. My first in-person audition in four years. And about five weeks later, he called me on the phone and told me I got that role. Then he called me again to tell me what impact my role and my scenes and my work had made upon him. And soon after that, I was called to Italy and, probably about six months later from everything, I met him at the Roman ruins and he said hello and, “We should grab dinner.” We did. There’s been a real kinship.
It’s incredible to be on the side of this thing. I don’t know anything about this word “muse,” but I know he is a collaborator. I don’t think I could have foreseen from steaming those curtains to being here now that that’s where life would take me, but I’m very grateful that he has seen something in me and it’s been transformative, to say the least.
Joey Pollari as Ben with Jessica Lange as Constance Langdon in season 13.
Eric Liebowitz/FX
You come into this all-star AHS season as the main character, but also as one of few characters who isn’t a returning AHS star. Have you, over the years, watched the show, and were you intimidated to be coming on?
You hear Jessica Lange’s name, and that you have scenes with her, and there’s an awe-inspiring thing. I had seen some of the show; scenes over the years. When I started watching the show more in depth, I realized how much I had seen via the internet. This is a show that is so beloved, so if you spend any time on the internet like I do, you will see Jessica Lange not only saying “knotty pine,” but also her monologue in Asylum about taking care of a squirrel. You will see Madison Montgomery [Emma Roberts’ character] whipping out these lines. You will see Hypodermic Sally [Sarah Paulson’s character].
So I knew quite a bit, but still, it was a surprise. The character I was being invited to play is someone new to this world and new to Constance Langdon. I had seen the pilot of American Horror Story back in the day but hadn’t watched all of Murder House. When Ryan told me the role, I thought that may be a good advantage. She and I meet for the first time in the show, and that was the first time I heard her Southern accent, which is not everything as an actor, but it’s certainly interesting to go, “Where am I?” And because you don’t have all the scripts, you’re in real time having to react to the confusion of this character; the investigation that was given.
I watched Coven, and then I was invited to go over Miss Robichaux’s Academy. There I was, on the Robichaux set with those characters in real time. Yeah, incredible.
Did you know that your character was the devil’s son when you signed on?
No. Not at all. I only knew that he would be the entry point for meeting these characters. Then when I receive a script and Ben has a “616” branded on his lower back, your ear goes to the wind. But it was a shock to me, and even more of a shock was that scene when, after meeting his father, he goes over to the coven and says, “I believe you’re looking for me.”
Your two bottle episodes were rom-coms for AHS. The one with Madison Montgomery played out like a Sex and the City episode. There are funny lines; at one point, she talks about her real aunt Julia Roberts’ movies, and she goes on a date with a Clavicular-like type. When you get the scripts, how much do you improv to make your own, and how much is on the page?
When I met Emma, there was instantaneous [chemistry]. I really felt like I understood it. Like, “We’re going to really get along.” We did a podcast episode for the show, and that was the first time we met in depth. We clearly had a really friendly chemistry. So then when we were on set, with director Adam Penn, it was so, so collaborative and he was really interested in what we had to say and do. I mean, those are the words. There’s some improvisation in there. But we felt like it was so well-written, and the connection was there. You don’t really need to work at it at that point.
It was more instinctual. At one point, we were doing a scene where we’re both smoking on the bed. I said, “I think I could do this all day.” She said, “Well, you’re lucky because we have been.” (Laughs.) She’s such a great scene partner. I felt a great deal of admiration, and the experience was extremely special.
You get to work with almost everybody.
Not Kathy Bates; she has the one scene. But I did get to work with Angela [Bassett].
Was there any sort of initiation ritual, especially being so in theme with the coven?
No, no, they were all extremely welcoming. But it is a funny thing to walk in as the new guy when they have years of history. They know how this works and they know their characters. It felt like we were in two different shows in some way. My character is in deep and full of anxiety. Then I’m coming over here and there’s quick talk and one-liners. I mean, they throw me up on a wall and Madison puts a knife to my to my crotch. (Laughs.)
Emma Roberts as Madison Montgomery, with Pollari in season 13.
Eric Liebowitz/FX
There was a huge reveal at the end of episode 12 about Jessica Lange’s characters being connected. Fiona Goode (Coven) and Constance Langdon (Murder House) are sisters who were separated at birth, and Sister Jude (Asylum) is their biological mother (their father is, of course, Satan). The episode then ended with Cordelia’s (Sarah Paulson) fate once again threatened, along with Queenie’s (Gabourey Sidibe), and it didn’t look great for Ben, either. How did everyone react to the Lange characters’ reveal, and what can you say about your fates going into the finale?
There was a great deal of excitement to have lore explained. It was so fun when I read the script, and what it leads to? No, I cannot say. But it certainly points to everything not being what it seems, and there is more yet to come! This is a really fun finale. It’s not over until it’s over.
Does it leave your character in a place where you could become an alum after this season? Gabourey Sidibe told me she thinks the coven will be back. Could you see more seasons for Ben?
That would be up to the writers. Of course I would be interested, but that’s all up to the writers. I’m grateful for the experience I’ve had so far, and mum’s the word on fates!
Do you have any real fears, like Ben has over the number 13? Did anything freak you out on set while you were making AHS?
No. A lot of people are superstitious, and I don’t feel that. I’m not a terribly superstitious person, despite people warning me, “Are you scared about doing this? Are you worried?” It was fun to play one, though, and to find meaning everywhere and be deeply paranoid. That’s a great quality to play for scenes!
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The American Horror Story season 13 finale airs at 9 p.m. Thursday night on FX, streaming the next day on Hulu.
