Sarah Paulson isn't afraid to 'go for it' in Hulu's Dust Bowl horror
Paulson returns to horror in 1930s psychological thriller, 'Hold Your Breath'
LOS ANGELES -- Horror fans, rejoice! Sarah Paulson has returned to the horror genre in Searchlight Pictures' new psychological thriller, "Hold Your Breath." The chilling new film begins streaming this Thursday on Hulu.
"Hold Your Breath" takes place in 1930s Oklahoma. Amidst inescapable dust storms and a devastating drought, Margaret (Sarah Paulson) must do whatever it takes to keep her two children safe.
On The Red Carpet spoke with the Emmy Award-winning actress about her take on her character.
"They were left alone," she says, referring to the female townsfolk, "while men tried to make a living, and they were often thrust into a role in the family that they were not used to having, in terms of being both a protector and also the mother, where all of the responsibility was falling on them. And they didn't have a lot of support outside of their immediate families. And often that meant that they were by themselves and were just relying on one another. And I think it was really isolating."
"They all have different ways they want to survive this time, and for Margaret, it's all about keeping things close to the vest and locked down and not allowing any of the dirt, the dust, the emotion, anything to get inside."
With nowhere to hide, the dust and something more sinister begin to seep in.
"They're children, and it's like any time you have these kind of campfire scary stories about something lurking in the woods or outside, I think it's particularly potent for children, and for Margaret, she's just terrified that it could be real, because there are things that start happening to her mentally, and she can't quite get a sense of what's real and what isn't," Paulson explained.
Paulson co-stars alongside Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who plays a suspicious holy man in the film.
The duo worked together on "The Bear's" Emmy Award-winning episode "Fishes." Paulson told us, "We shot the movie, and I went to do 'The Bear' afterwards, and I was just so grateful that I'd had this time with Ebon, because I'm a rabid 'Bear' fan, and I was just so starstruck by all of them, and I was nervous."
As Margaret becomes increasingly paranoid, we start to see mania take hold, something she is no stranger to performing.
"My mother always told me I had a flair for the dramatics... Working in this genre is very helpful for that because it's always such a high stakes environment. It's literally life and death, so you kind of have the freedom to go for it. And I like going for it."
"Hold Your Breath" begins streaming October 3 on Hulu.
The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Searchlight Pictures, Hulu and this ABC station.
