Niecy Nash-Betts has no appetite for horror.
And theres at least one big twist along the way.
So I [went] home tired.
“To be honest with you, this is crazy — I don’t like horror,” says Nash-Betts.Prashant Gupta/FX
(you cant fight crime if you aint cute!).
Shes an alcoholic, and in that disease its hard to tell [youre addicted].
You never know, or I would never know.
I used to have to unpack it with Ryan: Where is she today?
Does she really want to drink and thats whats driving the rage?
So it really is something that flowed throughout her entire journey.
Trying to track that and still play it very grounded was a challenge.
Which is it?Isnt that wonderful that art makes you think?
It makes you curious.
You gotta go back to your friends and say, Well, what did you think?
I think that shes awake in the last half.
[I] have to say things, and my job is to make those words come across real.
So, that was just a challenge.
I dont ever want the other person to personally feel that my wrath is real.
The power of religion to affect and manipulate populations.Oh, yeah.
The show felt really timely because of the presidential election.
Its the sign of the times.
Its all woven throughout the series.
Ryan doesnt shy away from anything.
What was it like to work with Travis Kelce?I love Travis.
We just got off the phone together.
I love his family.
I love his mom, Mama Kelce is my girl.
Im a fan of his [podcast] with his brother, Jason.
Hes lovely and he wants to do well.
He shows up with an eagerness.
I just think hes lovely.
Some people have crazy fans, and I dont even know whats going to happen.
But I just wanted to understand how it was going to play out.
So, we know what happened, but we didntseeit happen.
This isnt your first police procedural.
You played a deputy inReno 911!and a detective inThe Rookie: Feds.
Did those roles influence your performance as Lois?I never gave them a second thought.
Raineesha didnt know any better.
Of course, Simone, being sexy was her superpower.
Im not too proud to audition.
I want to be a part of telling this story.
Ive been obsessed with what happened to these children since the time it happened.
She was like, What?
Im gonna send you this: Youre Koreys mother.
You had the onus to want to get it right.
What aboutDahmer?I said yes toDahmerbefore even knowing what it was.
Ryan Murphy called me and said, Ive got this thing I want you to do.
And I said, OK. Then he sent the script, and I was like, Zoinks!
OK, this is what were doing.
I still dont know how his mind works.
How do you come up with this stuff?
To a lot of people, hes mysterious, untouchable.
I dont care about any of that.
I love him as a person, and I couldnt ask for a better partner.
Shows likeDahmerandGrotesqueriethat center serial killers bring a lot of gore.
Is there such a thing as too much?
Do you ever feel that sometimes Ryan needs to reel it in?The short answer is no.
I just dont feel that way.
Thats the whole point about art.
You dont put borders on it.
You let the mind go.
Those genres wouldnt exist if people werent watching.
Most people dont pass an accident and look away.
They want to see whats going on.
Have you reached your dreams?I live them every day.
I dont take my job lightly.
It is a passion, and I am grateful every single day that I responded to the whisper.
