When Orlando Jones’ agent called him about auditioning for Papa Legba in “American Horror Story: 13,” his first reaction was uncertainty. The late Lance Reddick, who originally played the role in “Coven” and “Apocalypse” and who tragically died in 2023, was a friend.
“I was like, ‘OK, but I’m not really sure.’ He’s one of one just like I’m one of one,” Jones told TheWrap. The actor auditioned with material that was originally written for Reddick’s interpretation of the Haitian gatekeeper of the spirit realm because the “AHS” team was still writing pages for this season. “I think I was on another movie, and I got a phone call saying, ‘They’ve cast you as Papa Legba,’ and I was like, ‘You cannot be serious.’”
It’s a bit of casting that echoes Reddick’s memory. Jones recalled talking to Reddick about the “American Horror Story” part while they were both at the SCAD aTVfest in 2019.
Though Reddick’s take on the character only appeared in four episodes over the course of two installments, Papa Legba has long been a standout in “American Horror Story.” Identifiable for his white face paint and skull-covered hat, Reddick infused the spirit of Haitian Voodoo with a contemplative energy, giving viewers the feeling that Papa Legba was far above the coven and its search for the next Supreme. At the time Reddick was playing Papa Legba, Jones was in a similar position while playing Mr. Nancy on “American Gods.” Though the Ghanaian trickster god Anansi only appeared in 10 episodes across the Starz drama’s three seasons, Jones’ role was a standout one. He estimated that he only spent about 20 days on set for “American Gods.”
“Everything else I did was either marketing, promotion, writing or producing for that show, which was odd to me, but there was no way for me to change it, so I left it as it was. And [Reddick] was expressing the same thing to me, like, ‘Man, we are being praised for our work. We sure would love to get more screen time,’” Jones said. “As I came into this role of this Papa Legba with considerably more screen time than my brother Lance had received, I really took that to heart.”
Part of Jones’ reconfiguring of the role was already in the script. Reddick’s version of Papa Legba was literally above the petty concerns of witches. But Jones’ version is far more furious. After Cordelia (Sarah Paulson) contacts him in “Hell No,” the voodoo master learned that Fiona Goode (Jessica Lange) — the troublesome witch he thought was dead — had been resurrected, he was left angry. Though he still agreed to help Cordelia and the coven defeat Satan, Jones’ version is far more animated the Reddick’s was.
“Lance was very still, because there was no threat coming at him. He wasn’t so much central to the plot of what was going on,” Jones said. “When I read the pages, I was like, ‘This guy can’t be the same. He is hot from the word go.’”
Another change Jones made was giving his version of Papa Legba a more authentic Haitian accent. Both Reddick and Jones worked with dialect coaches for the accent, but Jones tried to be more true to the form.
“I wanted to try and create a really memorable Haitian deity,” he said. “I need him to sound Haitian. I need you to be struggling to understand. I’m not gonna make it easy for you.”
Though this is Jones’ first time working with Ryan Murphy, it’s not the actor and comedian’s first time on FX. In 2003, he hosted the talk show “The Orlando Jones Show,” a series that premiered around the same time as “The Shield” and Murphy’s “Nip/Tuck.” Over his career, Jones has lived several lives, starting as one of the original cast members of the comedy showcase “MADtv,” starring in Ivan Reitman’s “Evolution” and providing voice acting work for shows like “Black Dynamite” and “Teenage Euthanasia.” Part of the reason Jones has had such a long career is because he’s been unafraid to pivot.
“I stopped doing comedies a decade ago, and my contemporaries from that time are largely all but gone, you know what I mean? A few rose to a certain level of stardom, but even then, they still don’t do a whole lot anymore,” Jones said. “I very much did not want that. I wanted a career where I was going to be able to tell different type of stories in different genres and work with different types of people.
“I have been doing different things for 30 years, primarily because I did not have any interest in what other people think stardom is,” he said.
“American Horror Story” airs new episodes Thursdays on FX and streams the next day on Hulu.
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