Massacres and Matinees<\/a>.\u2019<\/p>\nThe guests who attended the event on Saturday, October 11, just three days after the series\u2019 record-breaking fourth season premiere, \u2018Monsters Among Us,\u2019 drew over six million viewers, by members of the New Orleans Blackhat Society. The society, which refers to itself as a \u201cloose collective of Witches and Pagans from the local community,\u201d and house historian Andie Anderson divulged facts about the Buckner House\u2019s past.<\/p>\n
Walking around the white pillars that adorn the porch, which wraps around the entire 24,000 square foot mansion, Anderson revealed the landmark location has become a popular place for filming in recent years. Besides \u2018Coven,\u2019 the Buckner House has also appeared in last year\u2019s action crime thriller, \u2018Bullet to the Head,\u2019 which featured Sylvester Stallone and Sung Kang, and the 2012 fantasy horror adaptation, \u2018Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,\u2019 starring Benjamin Walker and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.<\/p>\n
Throughout the first floor of the Buckner House, which cotton pioneer Henry S. Buckner commissioned to be built in 1856, every room was filled with various costumes that were featured in \u2018Coven.\u2019 The featured costumes, which were created by Eyrich, included the red gown, red lace gloves and red woven belt worn by Frances Conroy during her portrayal as Myrtle Snow; the grey maid\u2019s dress and apron sported by Kathy Bates as she played Madame Delphine LaLaurie; the black and pink Ted Baker dress Brewer donned; and the black Gucci Peplum dress and black leather gloves worn by Jessica Lange during her performance as Fiona Goode.<\/p>\n
After the screening of \u2018Massacres and Matinees\u2019 at the Buckner House, Brewer, Grossman and Eyrich generously took the time to exclusively talk to the press during roundtable interviews about working on \u2018American Horror Story.\u2019 Eyrich expressed her appreciation of the continued opportunities the show\u2019s co-creator, writer and director, Ryan Murphy, has offered her on several of his television series, including \u2018Nip\/Tuck\u2019 and \u2018Glee.\u2019 While the costume designer highly praised Murphy\u2019s ideas and work ethic, she did reveal how \u2018American Horror Story\u2019 has been drastically harder than their previous television collaborations together. <\/p>\n
The designer admitted that \u201cevery year I say I can\u2019t do another (season), because it\u2019s too hard\u201d to create more elaborate and distinctive clothing for all of the unique characters that have been on all four seasons of the show. She noted that she usually works \u201c16 hours a day, six days a week-I\u2019m on the set (at least) 90 hours a week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the long hours she endures on the show, Eyrich instantly changed her mind when she was told the current season was going to be set in the title freak show. The designer admiringly noted that the show creator \u201calways pushes me (to do my best work).\u201d After she meets with Murphy and \u201che tells me his overall vision and what tone of (the season) is, I go away and do my research. Then I do my tone boards for each character. We then meet again and we go through each board.\u201d She added that Murphy pushes her to do her best work while they discuss their ideas for the season.<\/p>\n
With the show creator\u2019s support, Eyrich quickly readapted to the long schedule on the set, which is once again located in New Orleans. She came to once again embrace the schedule, in order to create the clothing for Lange\u2019s character, Elsa, as well as her troupe of performers and the citizens of the surrounding area in Jupiter.<\/p>\n
Starting her days at 5am and working nonstop until 2am the following day, Eyrich has to design and fit 36 speaking parts per episode. Many of the major characters have seven to eight costume changes in each show, and she has to finish each one before the actors arrive on the set. While the designer noted the series is rewarding, it\u2019s also very exhausting. \u201cThe hardest part is to stay focused because\u2026often we do double up days, which means we\u2019re doing two different episodes on the same day with two different sets. So you have to remember who\u2019s on this unit or this unit,\u201d the designer explained.<\/p>\n
The creative process is also difficult because the actors \u201cfly in from New York and LA, and you meet them at 5pm and everything has to be altered. You have to get (the costumes) prepped, aged and out to the trailer. The (actors\u2019) call time is 6am, so you have not even twelve hours (to finish the outfits),\u201d Eyrich added. The designer added that she\u2019s grateful she has a supportive crew, many of whom are local to New Orleans, to help her finish the costumes on time.<\/p>\n
While filming \u2018Coven,\u2019 Eyrich added there were several challenges in creating costumes that could endure the stunts, due to \u201cthe stabbing, slicing and (such action sequences as) landing on a fence through the heart.\u201d So she would create multiple sets of each costume-\u201cwe had to have three to five of the same thing\u201d-in case one set was damaged during filming. But there were times when she was upset she couldn\u2019t use an outfit she really wanted, as \u201cyou could sometimes only find two instead of three (sets). You\u2019ve searched so hard to find the (sets you do have, and you start) slicing and dicing them, and throwing dirt on them. Then you\u2019re like, \u2018I just spent 200 dollars on that dress (I can no longer use).\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
While Eyrich does at times experience disappointment over not being able to use the costumes and designs she originally envisions for the characters of \u2018American Horror Story,\u2019 she humbly noted that the actors do approach her after their scenes, and express their love of the outfits she does make for them. The actors at times have mentioned to her that her designs gave them a better sense of their character\u2019s mindsets during their scenes.<\/p>\n
The designer stated that she thinks the cast embraces her costumes, as she\u2019s obsessed with perfecting each outfit. \u201cI talk to the actors before I ever fit them. We talk about the character so when I\u2019m going through the sketching and designing process I think about what they have in mind,\u201d Eyrich further explained.<\/p>\n
Eyrich gave an example of working with Danny Huston, who played the Axe Man in seven episodes of \u2018Coven.\u2019 The actor offered the designer \u201ca lot of input. He actually sent me pictures he thought would work. He did his own research on the Axe Man and he brought a lot to the plate for our first fitting,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
While speaking with Huston helped Eyrich create the look of the Axe Man\u2019s wardrobe, she was rushed to complete his outfits in \u201ca matter of three days from when I talked to him to the day he shot, and all his suits had to be custom made.\u201d Since there were four replicas of each suit the actor wore, the designer described the process of making his costumes as being \u201cvery fast and furious. But we nailed it. Through his collaboration, he got what he wanted, and wrote me a very nice email afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the biggest challenges Eyrich was faced with during the \u2018Coven\u2019 shoot was the infamous red dress Myrtle wore before she was burned at the stake the second time. The designer originally was looking for a Balenciaga dress, as it was scripted that the character comes out in a red dress and screamed the name of the French fashion house. <\/p>\n
But while researching the process of securing a Balenciaga dress for the show, she realized they couldn\u2019t afford the brand. So Murphy reassured Eyrich, telling her \u201c\u2019It\u2019s not literal. She\u2019s just saying it as a crazy Myrtle thing.\u2019 So we were then able to broaden it out\u2026.we hit online and my shopper Bob found (the Carolina Herrera dress they ultimately used).\u201d<\/p>\n
While Eyrich declared the dress \u201cwas the perfect thing,\u201d she added \u201cthere was a lot of stuff in the press afterwards saying \u2018That\u2019s not a Balenciaga dress.\u2019 I was like, \u201cWell, it was never meant to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
While she did face some challenges on finding the right styles and designs for the characters\u2019 costumes, Eyrich thought dressing guest star Stevie Nicks was incredible. \u201cI used to tour on the road, so I had toured with a couple of (Nicks\u2019) people in the past. Stevie brought suitcases of relics of the past that were amazing,\u2019 the designer revealed about the Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter.<\/p>\n
Nicks did try clothing on for Eyrich, and the two talked about the entertainer\u2019s character, and what she\u2019d be doing in each scene. The singer \u201cwas so into it. But she did end up wearing all of her own clothes,\u201d the designer added.<\/p>\n
After working on contemporary and historic clothing for \u2018Coven,\u2019 she turned to the faded glamor style for \u2018Freak Show,\u2019 which is set in 1952. \u201cElsa\u2019s once-great freak show carnival is now a dying art. They\u2019re out of money and they\u2019re being thrown off the land. So we were going to use very \u2018Dust Bowl\u2019 sad neutral tones.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Eyrich was initially going to make the costumes beige and other neutral colors, once they \u201cstarted doing the fittings and knew we were shooting it here (in New Orleans), we realized a lot of the outside has this green grass and colorful buildings. We decided to shift it into something much more colorful, like the Technicolor like the old movies of the 1950s. We started watching those movies with these splashes of polka dots, stripes and shiny golds and greens,\u201d she said. The designer also revealed she\u2019s \u201creally glad we changed (the original designs), because it looks much more interesting now on the screen.\u201d<\/p>\n
While all of the characters are interesting to dress on \u2018Freak Show,\u2019 two of the most notable characters are Twisty the Clown, who\u2019s played by John Carol Lynch, and Elsa, the freak show\u2019s leader. The designer revealed that dressing the clown \u201cwas a big transition from what I originally thought it was going to be to what we ended up on. A lot of it came once we met (Lynch).\u201d<\/p>\n
But Eyrich ended up working more closely with Lynch than she initially expected to as she was creating Twisty\u2019s clown suit. The collaboration came from the fact that they \u201cknew we were going to be shooting in July and August here and it gets so hot. (Also,) I had designed this one piece but then we decided (Lynch) needed to be able to get out of the costume quickly when they said cut\u2026(Then we could) get him out quickly so he wouldn\u2019t get so hot in the costume. So we had to do two pieces with easy access to get it off,\u201d the designer said.<\/p>\n
But the premise that Twisty has been wearing the suit since the 1930s remained intact. \u201cSomething happens and he flees and you don\u2019t know why, but now he\u2019s wearing the costume,\u201d Eyrich said.<\/p>\n
Another notable costume the designer created was the blue suit Lange wore for the \u2018Life on Mars\u2019 musical number. \u201cThat\u2019s (another) one of those things where I thought it was going to be one thing, and then I had to shift it. We had a different outfit designed for (Lange). Then one day Ryan turned to me and said, \u2018We need a blue suit for Elsa. She\u2019s going to sing \u2018Life on Mars.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Murphy wanted to match the suit Elsa wore with the blue eye shadow she had on during \u201cthe dressing room scene the first time you meet Paul- our seal boy- when he comes in and says five minutes to Elsa. I\u2019m like, \u2018What\u2019s with the blue eye shadow?\u2019 I thought I need to design the suit to match that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
So Eyrich took inspiration from David Bowie\u2019s famous suit from the early 1970\u2019s and made it more feminine and fitting for the \u201840s. \u201cWe gave it the big shoulders and the big lapel. Then we did a little Marlene Dietrich twist to it and put (Lange) in a tie and did the androgynous thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the suit has already gained infamy from the show\u2019s fans, the outfit \u201cwasn\u2019t (Lange\u2019s) favorite outfit. She got used to it, but at first she was like, \u2018Wait\u2013what? I\u2019m doing what? I\u2019m singing what?\u2019 But now it\u2019s become quite the sensation, I hear,\u201d Eyrich further explained.<\/p>\n
Grossman, who also found it very flattering that Murphy asked her to return to \u2018Freak Show,\u2019 especially after she initially played Pepper on \u2018Asylum.\u2019 She\u2019s the first actor to appear in more than one season of \u2018American Horror Story\u2019 as the same character. Since she\u2019s still in the beginning of her acting career and working hard to prove her natural talent, she noted that \u201chaving an actual (character) name without having a number attached to it was really great.\u201d<\/p>\n
While she initially assumed that Pepper would be a very minor character throughout \u2018Asylum,\u2019 the actress \u201creally had no idea it would turn into this-that there would be \u2018Pepper for President\u2019 posters and that I would be here reprising the same role two years later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grossman was honored that Murphy brought Pepper back for another season, and she figured \u201cit meant I did something right.\u201d But she was initially concerned about her character\u2019s fate during \u2018Asylum,\u2019 \u201cwhen I disappeared after the third episode\u2026I had four, five episodes where I thought, \u2018What happened? Did I fall in? Did I suck?\u2019 I didn\u2019t know where I had gone, only later to find out I\u2019d been abducted.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked if she created a backstory that ties \u2018Freak Show\u2019 and \u2018Asylum\u2019 together for Pepper, Grossman said she feels \u201clike the writers are going to come up with that, and it\u2019s going to be surprising. I don\u2019t want to confuse the situation too much. Whatever I come up with will pale in comparison to what the writers will come up with.\u201d<\/p>\n
While she tries not to reveal in the fact that she\u2019s one of the few select characters who aren\u2019t subjected to dying during \u2018Freak Show,\u2019 she has \u201cheard that basically (during the second half of the season), we go two by two. There\u2019s pretty much two deaths an episode or so. That\u2019s the rumor,\u201d Grossman emphasized. But she\u2019s still \u201cglad I\u2019m safe. But we\u2019re always wondering, who\u2019s next?\u201d<\/p>\n
Getting back into Pepper\u2019s mindset, as well as the physical transformation she had to once again go through to get back into character, was a lengthy process. \u201cI typically arrive on set, put on a robe, lay back, close my eyes, and let them go to work. Two and a half, three hours later, I\u2019m Pepper. It\u2019s pretty much a prosthetic nose, brow and ears, and of course they\u2019ve got some crazy teeth and contact lens for me,\u201d Grossman revealed.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor \u2018Asylum,\u2019 I actually wore a wig (during shooting), because I was trying to go through the rest of my life without looking like a Hare Krishna,\u201d the actress explained about her hair. \u201cBut now (for \u2018Freak Show\u2019), they actually shaved it, and I think that\u2019s because of Salty, my little sidekick.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking of Salty, who\u2019s played by Christopher Neiman, Grossman teased that in real life, \u201cI\u2019m an only child, and I like it that way. So having a brother has been a little bit trying for me. I\u2019m just kidding.\u201d (laughs)<\/p>\n
While Grossman then insisted the cast and crew is a caring family, she added that \u201cwhat actor doesn\u2019t (want to be a part of) an on-screen murder? If not murder, who wouldn\u2019t want to showcase the loss of their sibling? Salty presents all sorts of juicy screen-time for Pepper, and for that I\u2019m really grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grossman then revealed that while Pepper was also featured in \u2018Asylum,\u2019 she\u2019s not necessarily contracted for the whole season of \u2018Freak Show.\u2019 \u201cBut I am alive twelve years later, so I know I can\u2019t die (during \u2018Freak Show\u2019). I do have a certain sense of job security.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grossman also discussed whether or not \u2018Freak Show\u2019 will have a supernatural element like \u2018Asylum\u2019 had. While she stated she doesn\u2019t necessarily know yet if the paranormal will factor into the current season, \u201cwhen I watched \u2018Asylum\u2019 episode one, it was just this cornucopia of all things scary. But I think \u2018Freak Show\u2019 is about freaks. This does seem like a more human story, and I think in that regard it\u2019s almost scarier because people are afraid of the unusual.\u201d<\/p>\n
With \u2018American Horror Story\u2019 being such a free-spirited show, Grossman said she\u2019s surprised \u201cevery single time I read a script, I\u2019m breathless as I turn the pages. I just read the newest episode last night (Friday, October 10, 2014), and I swear I was like, \u2018Are you kidding me? You can\u2019t do that. **SPOILER ALERT** You can\u2019t kill the biggest names in the series half way through!\u2019\u201d **END SPOILER ALERT** While the actress doesn\u2019t yet know what\u2019s going to happen at the end of the season, she is \u201cafraid Pepper might be the only one left.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the most surprising sequences Grossman witnessed during \u2018Freak Show\u2019s filming so far was the orgy scene included in \u2018Monsters Among Us.\u2019 She added, \u201cI can\u2019t wait for the Blu-ray of \u2018Freak Show.\u2019 They have to include that [scene]. We choreographed that. I remember Amazon Eve\u2019s leg up in the air. Her leg is like seven-feet long and one of the little people was swinging around it like it was some stripper pole,\u201d the actress further detailed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll never forget hearing Ryan say, \u2018Hump the leg! Hump the leg!\u2019 It was just like, \u2018What are we doing? What am I in?\u2019 Fortunately I know that this is a legit production,\u201d Grossman joked. \u201cBut had I not known, I\u2019d think, \u2018What kind of porno did I find myself in?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Brewer was also excited and honored when she was asked to return to \u2018American Horror Story,\u2019 for a new role in \u2018Coven.\u2019 \u201cHonestly, it was amazing that they asked me back. Since I wasn\u2019t in the second season, it was an amazing feeling to be called back. Given the chance to do something different was great,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The actress also said the transition back into the popular series was made easier because she was close to everyone on the set. \u201cThe writing staff, including Brad Falchuk, for sure, is incredible. Brad has an amazing writing ability. The rest of the crew, including Michael Goi, who works on the photography, and Monte Haught, the hair department head, is also great,\u201d she said. \u201cI can\u2019t forget Ryan Murphy,\u201d Brewer also exclaimed.<\/p>\n
The actress further expressed her admiration for Murphy by saying he \u201carcs the characters so well, we really didn\u2019t know who was going to be the next Supreme witch. It was amazing to me that they arced Nan so well that she could have been the next Supreme.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brewer also laughed when discussing how there\u2019s a behind-the-scene feature in which she argues with Sarah Paulson over who will be the next Supreme. Paulson, who\u2019s currently playing conjoined twins Bette and Dot on \u2018Freak Show,\u2019 stated that she should be the next ruler of the coven, as she\u2019s the biological daughter of Lange\u2019s character, Fiona Goode.<\/p>\n
Brewer also said she was impressed by everything on the set of \u2018Coven.\u2019 \u201cFrom the hats we wear to the costumes to the props, especially the axe, everything was amazing,\u201d Brewer gushed.<\/p>\n
In addition to expressing her appreciation for the rest of the cast and crew of \u2018Coven,\u2019 Brewer also discussed her gratitude for being able to film on location, especially at the Buckner Mansion. \u201cAll the exterior shots are on location. The exterior of the academy is out the front door of this house. The balcony shots that included me, Emma Roberts and Gabourey Sidibe, as we overlook Luke (played by Alexander Dreymon), my love interest, and (his mother, Joan, who was played by) Patti LuPone, was done in the back of the mansion,\u201d the actress explained. Brewer\u2019s admiration for the look, feel and history of the Buckner Mansion reinforced the idea that having the right location for an intriguingly frightening storyline powerfully heightens the emotional and psychological scares of any enthralling series.<\/p>\n
Watch Brewer and Eyrich discuss their experiences working on ‘American Horror Story’ at, and check out photos from, the show’s event at Buckner Mansion, below.<\/p>\n