Ratched’s Sarah Paulson Made Sure Ryan Murphy Would Cast Her In Lead Role

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Ratched’s Sarah Paulson Made Sure Ryan Murphy Would Cast Her In Lead Role

Sarah Paulson made sure Ryan Murphy cast her as the iconic nurse in the Netflix series Ratched. Penned by Evan Romansky, Ratched is the latest collaboration between Murphy and Paulson, as Paulson has appeared in numerous Murphy helmed-projects, including American Horror Story and Feud: Bette and Joan. Centering on the origin story of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Ratched dives into Nurse Mildred Ratched’s journey from asylum nurse to a murderous monster. Set against the backdrop of Northern California in 1947, Ratched takes place 15 years before the events of the classic film. Now, Paulson reveals how she landed the role of the diabolical nurse.

Speaking with Collider, Paulson reveals that she insisted that Murphy cast her as Nurse Ratched. Reportedly, Murphy expressed to Paulson that it was a huge role to tackle, “given Louise Fletcher’s arguably perfect, Academy Award-winning performance. It just seems like you maybe you might not want to take a bite out of that.” Furthermore, Paulson unveils that after reading the first page of the Ratched script - which she demanded Murphy send her -, she said to Murphy, “If I don’t get to play this, I’m gonna throw a tantrum in the street.” Furthermore, Paulson elaborates that portraying Nurse Ratched is “another gift Ryan Murphy has given me.”

Following its debut on September 18, Ratched season 1 marked another strong performance from Paulson and left viewers in anticipation for season 2. Of course, Paulson shows no signs of slowing down. After a brief hiatus from AHS, Paulson tackled roles in Mrs. America, and as Linda Tripp in the upcoming season of American Crime Story. However, Paulson, as Nurse Ratched, has been one of the most anticipated works of her career. Given Paulson’s ability to inhabit her roles and the surrounding of her character, she was the ideal choice to take on the insanity, hostility, and complexity of Nurse Ratched.