Actress Sarah Paulson spoke about the criticism she received for portraying Linda Tripp in FX's 'Impeachment.' (Photo: John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Sarah Paulson is reflecting on the backlash regarding her recent television role.
In a new interview with The Wrap, the Impeachment: American Crime Story star, 46, acknowledged that people were upset over her being cast as White House whistleblower Linda Tripp in the FX series, a role for which she gained 30 pounds and wore a suit to make her appear heavier. Paulson defended taking the role, and called the criticism, which centered on the fact that Paulson is a thin woman, "particularly gender-specific."
"It did hurt my feelings, partly because it felt, as often happens when you're criticized for your work, or when you're celebrated too ... it's very hard not to personalize. It's very hard to not want to say, 'Don't you know I just spent two years of my life and then I gained 30 pounds to play this part?' And that I like, slept, breathed, wept, bled Linda Tripp for two years?" Paulson explained during the site's 2021 Power Women's Summit, which also featured Cynthia Erivo. "So for you to sit down at your computer and decide that maybe this endeavor was not worthwhile, and that maybe I shouldn't have been the one to play it, is so hurtful and also wrong."
Calling it "the acting challenge of my life," Paulson said the response "has been all over the map, and I welcome it, honestly, because it means I did my job ... It meant the world to me to get to do it."
While Paulson was quick to advocate for herself, she has also expressed "regret" in the past about wearing a fat suit in the show.
"It's very hard for me to talk about this without feeling like I'm making excuses," Paulson told The Los Angeles Times back in August. "There's a lot of controversy around actors and fat suits, and I think that controversy is a legitimate one. I think fat phobia is real. I think to pretend otherwise causes further harm. And it is a very important conversation to be had."
SOURCE : yahoo
