The sixth episode of "American Horror Story: Freak Show" aired Thursday night and followed a slower turn of events than past episodes. Paul the Illustrated Seal (Matt Fraser) was featured quite a bit; Dandy (Finn Wittrock) once again confessed his love for the Tattler twins Dot and Bette (Sarah Paulson); and Elsa (Jessica Lange) celebrated a birthday.
There wasn't much Desiree Dupree (Angela Bassett) in "Bullseye" but fortunately HNGN.com and other outlets got the chance to talk to the actress in a conference call about the "Freak Show" season, her three-breasted character and what's ahead.
On how much time it takes to get into costume:
"Well, I go in. I go into my regular makeup artist. She applies the appliance to me, so that it's there basically. Then I go over to the special effects trailer where her husband makes sure the edges and everything sort of blend seamlessly. I guess I can say that. From there, he and the other special effects gentlemen will begin to apply the paint. They'll start with brown. They spray it on. They'll start with the brown. They'll go to the red, and yellow, and green. It's amazing these colors and undertones that they claim you possess. You're like, oh, those are weird, weird colors. Then he'll take a photograph of it to make sure that it appears as if it's my own and based on that he'll maybe go in, and do so more painting, and carry on. That's it. It takes maybe from start to finish about an hour, just enough time to check out a Netflix episode of "Orange is the New Black" or something."
On what made her want to join "Freak Show" and her reaction to playing Desiree:
"I didn't have a clue whatsoever what the part might be, what it might encompass when I signed on. I just knew I had a great time the previous year, and if that was any indication, it was going to be a wild ride. I think it was about two weeks before I was scheduled to come down to start shooting that I got the, you know, the hot off the press script. I sat down to read it to see and I remember wondering, Now, how am I going to know who I am?'"
Bassett said after reading the character description for Desiree, her initial reaction was, "Oh, my gosh."
On if she believes this is a really "dark" season:
"You know, that's what [Michael] Chiklis says. I go, wait a minute. Based on the type of shows that you've done, you consider this real dark and strange? I think he says dark and strange. Yes, it's a little dark because it's dealing with, I guess, how so-called normal folk view those who are typical or different. That can get a little bit dark. I'd like to think that what's dark are the secrets of men's hearts: envy."
On her sudden friendship with Ethel (Kathy Bates) and will they team up against Dell (Michael Chiklis):
"That's the thing. We really don't know what's coming in the subsequent episodes and the subsequent scripts. That's the aspect of this that makes it a little bit fascinating or difficult for us. I guess we don't have input, but we might have influence. We've played it as good, good friends. It remains to be seen. Maybe they'll see that in the writer's room and it'll take them down a different road then they had anticipated. That can, and does happen, and has happened in the past. We'll see. I'd like to be friends with Ethel. We were such archenemies last year for all eternity as it turned out."
On her current status with Dell:
"Well, she's walked out on him. She does demand a different kind of treatment. I guess honesty. Honesty for one, but that's just not a desire of her as a freak, it's just a desire for her as a human being."
On if things will work out with her husband:
"I think she did find someone, you know, that there was a time when he was kind, and good to her, and believed in her, and made her feel valuable and special. I think that there have been moments over those years when they've been together where he's crossed the line with her in his speak, and his speech, and the things that he says. He's begged for forgiveness. It's the same old thing sometimes it happens, when people are abusive physically. I think there's been maybe some emotional abuse throughout the years, but always never crossing the line, and completely crossing the line, or she's weighing if I give this up, what do I lose? Can I move on from this? Can we move on from this? Can we remain together?
I think there has come a point in last week's episode where he crossed the line of no return. She thought she knew who he was, but she found out she was living with the enemy. There's something about him that was dishonest and disloyal. They were there for each other. They told each other their painful truth. I think he crossed the line."
On whether fans will get a "Desiree 2.0" now that she's all-female:
"I think she's comfortable. I think she's comfortable with who she is, by and large. I think she's just had to find a way to work and survive in a world that she's always been reaching for what she calls normalcy, to have a family, a real family, and children of her own. I don't think it's going to change and make her more feminine or whatever it might be. No, I don't. They might write her so differently, so I'm open. I'm open, but I don't anticipate it'll change the way she behaves. I think what influences that is how she's treated, how she's treated by others."
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"The only connection I was able to make was Pepper from Season 2 to Season 4. I haven't thought about that. That gives me something to think about."
