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New images have just been released from the eagerly awaited “Impeachment: American Crime Story,” and Ryan Murphy series regular Sarah Paulson is by far the most unrecognizable actress of all, playing Linda Tripp in the drama which will air on September 7. Paulson, who hardly shares any of the same features as Tripp, has drawn stark criticism for taking the role from an actress who potentially looks more like the former White House employee, as not only did she gain 30 pounds for the role, but she also wore a fat suit.
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Paulson has since spoken out on her part, revealing that she did regret wearing the fat suit, and wondering openly if she should have turned down the role. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, she said, “It’s very hard for me to talk about this without feeling like I’m making excuses. There’s a lot of controversy around actors and fat suits, and I think that controversy is a legitimate one.”
Paulson continued, saying, “I think fat phobia is real. I think to pretend otherwise causes further harm. And it is a very important conversation to be had.” However, Paulson did affirm that she felt she was the proper actress the portray the role of Tripp, stating, “I do think to imagine that the only thing any actor called upon to play this part would have to offer is their physical self is a real reduction of the offering the actor has to make.”
“I would like to believe that there is something in my being that makes me right to play this part. And that the magic of hair and makeup departments and costumers and cinematographers that has been part of moviemaking, and suspension of belief, since the invention of cinema. Was I supposed to say no [to the part]? This is the question.”
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After gaining 30 lbs for the role as well as donning a fat suit and a number of facial prosthetics, Paulson will play the role of Tripp, who first befriended and then recorded a number of phone calls speaking with Monica Lewinsky back in 1998. This was ultimately responsible for exposing the affair between the 22-year-old intern and Bill Clinton, the President of the United States at the time, resulting in his eventual impeachment.
Speaking on her decision to take the role, however, Paulson concluded, “Should I have known? Abso-f—ing-lutely. But I do now. And I wouldn’t make the same choice going forward.” Tripp passed away in 2020 from pancreatic cancer, and will not see Paulson’s rendition of her role in Clinton’s impeachment which will air on FX on September 7.
