“The Beauty,” a brutally graphic sci-fi body horror about society’s obsession with looks, is the type of show that seems like a hard sell for most creators. Luckily for the cast of the buzzy FX series, it wasn’t just anyone who came calling with the pitch.
Premiering Wednesday, “The Beauty” centers around the emergence of a sexually transmitted treatment that seemingly grants those infected with their perfect physical form. But as the disease spreads, deadly side effects spawn wreaking havoc across lavish fashion runways and beyond. The series was created by megaproducer Ryan Murphy and Matthew Hodgson, based on the graphic novel of the same name by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley. “The Beauty” also marks the TV creator’s first foray into science fiction, one that seems to be winning over critics.
“When Ryan Murphy is sitting across the table from you describing ‘The Beauty,’ arguably one of the most Ryan Murphy concepts that you can ever imagine, it’s hard to say no,” actress Rebecca Hall told TheWrap.”It sounded completely unhinged and delightful in a truly brilliant way. I was completely sold on it.”
The chaos catches the attention of the FBI, who enlists two top agents to lead the investigation across the worlds of fashion, corporate interests and the search for youth. Frequent Murphy collaborator Evan Peters headlines the cast as FBI agent Cooper Madsen, who is tasked with the disturbing case alongside his partner Jordan Bennett (Hall), with whom he shares a complicated relationship.
“He said it would be an international thriller, and there were going to be some long action sequences in it … I was excited,” Peters said of the new project, his first with Murphy since the Emmy nominated “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” in 2022.
But the story extends far beyond the FBI’s efforts to understand the disease. “The Beauty” examines the growing influence of the beauty and cosmetics industry, and the impact its hold on pop culture has on the people it targets as customers.
Leading the charge is an elusive billionaire known only as The Corporation, played with villainous flair by Ashton Kutcher. The actor said that Murphy came to him with his alluring pitch at a time when he wasn’t actively pursuing acting jobs, but the show’s premise hooked him.
“In the world of GLP-1s, where you have Ozempic and Mounjaro, and people are clamoring to get this shot for aesthetic reasons … a world of genetic editing and where everybody’s out doing cosmetic tourism and trying to change their looks. What if there was one shot that did that for you? What would you pay? What would you be willing to risk for that one shot?” Kutcher recalled Murphy’s pitch. “That’s quite a world to explore at the hands of a master.”
Part of Murphy’s pitch also involved giving Kutcher the chance to help shape his character’s journey into one he hasn’t gotten to explore in his career before — a rare opportunity for any actor, but one frequently awarded to those in one of the TV hitmaker’s ensembles.
“It’s not very often you get a person like Ryan Murphy saying that to you, so honestly it was a dream. I didn’t even read a script or anything before I said yes to the part,” said Anthony Ramos, who plays a man known simply as The Assassin.
For co-star Jeremy Pope, who previously worked with Murphy in shows like “Pose” and “Hollywood,” saying yes to a role on “The Beauty” came as easily as answering a text that asked, “Hey, you want to read something weird?”
“This idea around the currency of beauty right now is very visceral,” added co-star Jeremy Pope. “You can’t scroll social media or look at the TV without seeing an ad for a new medication you need that’s going to make you feel XYZ, or a cosmetic surgery that’s going to make you look XYZ. When those things are being projected onto you, what is the conversation you’re having with yourself? I love a piece of art that asks the audience a question to themselves.”
Like most of Murphy’s prolific work, the project is sure to inspire conversation given its daring approach to a hot-button topic. But it’s the truth underneath the spectacle that keeps actors and viewers coming back for more.
“Through most of his projects, Ryan has a throughline that the thing that makes you unique is the thing that makes you interesting and different, and it should be celebrated,” Peters said. “I think that ultimately is the takeaway of the series, and [the message] Ryan does so beautifully.”
“The Beauty” premieres Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on FX and Hulu.
The post ‘The Beauty’ Cast Details Ryan Murphy’s ‘Unhinged’ Pitch: ‘It’s Hard to Say No’ appeared first on TheWrap.
