Sarah Paulson refuses to watch her own TV shows for a valid reason
It seems like Sarah Paulson is in so many things we love. From starring in six seasons of American Horror Story to her Emmy-winning turn in The People Vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, she’s definitely on our TVs a LOT. Her next project, another collaboration with AHS’s Ryan Murphy and Jessica Lange called Feud, is already on our radar. So, does Paulson get tired of seeing herself everywhere?
The answer is no – but for a surprising reason. Paulson actually doesn’t watch the TV shows or movies she’s in any more. We kind of feel bad for her – she’s missing out on a lot of good TV.
Paulson hasn’t always avoided watching her own work. She recently told Vanity Fair: “I’m in this new kick of never watching anything I do anymore. I haven’t watched O.J., I didn’t watch my Sally [on AHS: Hotel]. I haven’t watched Season 6 [of American Horror Story] so far.
Paulson, who brought THE Marcia Clark with her to the Emmys and had the attorney’s name engraved upon the statuette with her own, says that her role as the prosecutor in O.J. is what prompted her to stop watching herself.
“It was the first time in my career where I really felt such an onslaught of complimentary, effusive reactions to the show itself and to my work on it, that I started to get very nervous about my typical way of watching something and ripping it to shreds when it’s my own work.
So, Paulson simply didn’t view the show, nor her recent AHS work, or her turn in the indie Blue Jay with Mark Duplass.
Rather than critique her own work on a well-received show like O.J., Paulson made a decision. “I thought, ‘What would happen if you didn’t do that this time, and you just let it be what it is and don’t attach your own feelings to it, and let it stand on it’s own, and just enjoy people saying nice things? What if you do that instead?’
That sounds like a healthy strategy for an actor, and we applaud Paulson for allowing herself to enjoy the positive feedback about her work and trusting that she did the best job she could as a performer!
