Here’s a first look at Lady Gaga in American Horror Story: Hotel. The fleeting tease titled “Front Desk” features Gaga’s hand wrapped in a silver glove with protruding razor-sharp nails. Ding goes the concierge bell and the unmistakable AHS theme music plays the clip out.
At Comic Con, creator Ryan Murphy and the rest of the AHS panel kept season 5 details under lock and key. They did, however, reveal the names of some of the new characters. Kathy Bates is Iris, Angela Bassett is Ramona, Evan Peters is Mr. March, Matt Bomer is Donovan, and Sarah Paulson is Hypodermic Sally. Got to love that last one.
Ever notice that Paulson’s character always makes it to the end of every season? This year might break that unspoken rule. “I always want to write the opposite of the season before,” said Murphy. “Someone said to me, ‘Paulson is the only one that always lives,’ and I said, ‘We’ve got to change that right away.’” If she meets her demise, Murphy added, it will be done in “a very fun way.”
Gaga’s character’s name was not disclosed at the panel, but Murphy confirmed she’s playing evil. “She’s been very collaborate and incredibly fun. When you work with somebody like her, you sign up for something that I think is larger than life. Part of her role involves fashion. You want Lady Gaga to look a certain way so the designers have been coming out of the woodwork.” This peek at Gaga’s shiny, edgy glove speaks volumes.
What else? Despite Gaga being a singer/songwriter superstar, Hotel will not take advantage of her pipes; Murphy is looking to subvert expectations here. Also, “I felt I got that out of my system,” he said, most definitely referring to Glee and AHS: Freak Show.
Need further proof that all of the AHS seasons are connected? Murphy confirmed, “It’s part of a very connected universe with a very cool thesis statement at the end of the run.” Expect lots of familiar faces from previous seasons to check into Hotel when it premieres on FX in October.
Update: Gaga posted to Instagram a bloodied script revealing the name of the first Hotel hour: “Checking In.”