Step inside New York’s historic Belasco Theatre these days, and you may feel as though you’ve been transported into the eye of a tempestuous family reunion.
Raised voices, raw emotions, and long-buried secrets spilling forth – this is the gripping world of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ critically acclaimed play “Appropriate.”
And at the turbulent center of it all is Sarah Paulson, delivering a tour-de-force performance that crackles with both power and vulnerability.
As the eldest sibling of Toni, Paulson is utterly magnetic, even if her character’s abrasive nature renders her somewhat unlikable at times.
However, an actress with Paulson’s talent places more importance on the need to fully inhabit a role than on the desire to win over audiences. “As a person, I’m like, ‘Please like me. Please! I’m begging you!'” she admits with a self-effacing laugh. “But as an actor, I feel like I don’t think about it at all.”
That Paulson’s name now graces the marquee of this storied Broadway venue is a feat that, by her own admission, still doesn’t feel quite real. “I did cry,” she confesses, the memory visibly moving her. “Because this is something I never could’ve imagined.” Her voice catches with emotion as she recalls those formative years attending shows as a young aspiring thespian, her mother Catharine Gordon steadfastly nurturing her theatrical ambitions.
It was Gordon who, after a divorce from Paulson’s father, made the courageous decision to uproot her two daughters from their home in Florida to the artistic mecca of New York City, chasing her own long-deferred dreams of becoming a writer.
In an extraordinary twist of fate, she found herself waiting tables at the legendary Sardi’s Restaurant – a culinary institution nestled in the heart of the Broadway theater district.
For a young Sarah Paulson, her mother’s new workplace may as well have been a sacred temple. She recalls gazing in awe at the caricatures adorning Sardi’s walls, rendered likenesses of theatrical royalty staring back at her with a mystique all their own.
Even then, simply setting foot in the restaurant felt like walking on hallowed ground. Little could she have foreseen that one day, her own visage would be immortalized among those pantheon greats.
Paulson’s mother’s unwavering support fueled her passion for performing from an early age.
After graduating from the prestigious LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts in 1994 – where, in a bid to stand out amidst names like “Linnea” and “Romi,” she insisted on being called “Saarah” – she eschewed college and plunged headlong into the professional theater world.
Her tenacity paid off, and before long, Paulson’s undeniable talents opened doors to the world of television and film.
She garnered acclaim for an array of roles that highlighted her remarkable versatility – from the memorable turn as a biting sketch comedian opposite Matthew Perry in “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” to her chilling portrayal of a cruel slave owner in the Oscar-winning “12 Years a Slave.”
But it was her mesmerizing performance as prosecutor Marcia Clark in the anthology series “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” that truly catapulted Paulson into the stratosphere.
Her nuanced, layered work as the tenacious attorney earned her universal praise and opened up a new realm of opportunities. Yet even now, Paulson’s humility remains steadfast: “I’ve never watched ‘The People vs. O.J.,'” she admits.
“Sterling K. Brown is always like, ‘Mama, you might wanna check it out.’ I’m like, ‘Maybe I do.’ He’s like, ‘It’s pretty good!’ And I just know I will pick it apart.”
That candid self-awareness extends to Paulson’s personal life as well. She has been in a committed relationship with actress Holland Taylor since 2015, despite their three-decade age gap.
Pragmatic about the unconventional dynamic, Paulson explains, “Holland and I live separately. I don’t know if you know this, but Holland is a good bit older than I am. And she lived a lot of her life on her own. And I lived a lot of my life on my own. And I think we both sort of arrived at this relationship sort of recognizing that we both wanted to maintain some of that.”
The couple’s bond, however, remains unshakable, transcending physical proximity. “Oh God, yes,” Paulson affirms when asked if she misses Taylor during their stretches apart. “We get along great on FaceTime.”
In many ways, Paulson’s journey has come full circle with her starring role in “Appropriate” and the recent addition of her caricature to the hallowed walls of Sardi’s.
At the unveiling ceremony, she paid tribute to the woman whose unwavering belief made her improbable dream possible: “You’re also honoring my mother, who was brave enough to move to Manhattan to follow her dream and thereby give me a giant springboard towards my own.”
For Catharine Gordon, the moment was almost too much to put into words. “I’ve been proud of Sarah since the day she was born,” she managed, her voice thick with emotion. “It feels happy. And it’s going to make me cry, so let’s not go any further with that one.”
The accolades keep mounting for the actress, with a Tony nomination for “Appropriate” adding to her already impressive mantle of honors. When asked if she believes her daughter will take home the coveted award, Gordon doesn’t hesitate: “Sarah’s a fabulous actress, and I know that. And I think she’s going to win!”
Paulson, ever gracious, can only muster an incredulous laugh at the sublime turn her life has taken. “Pinch me, is what I feel,” she marvels, her eyes shining with barely contained wonder.
“Pinch me. And if this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up. We all have dreams as children, right? And some of us get to experience them. And I feel like I’m getting to experience it, and it’s really special.”
From a young girl transfixed by the theatrical mecca of Sardi’s to a tenacious performer honing her craft, to a bona fide star leaving an indelible mark on the Great White Way – Sarah Paulson’s trajectory is a testament to the power of passion, perseverance, and the sacred bond between a mother and daughter.
As her name shines resplendently above the Belasco Theatre marquee, bathed in the incandescent lights of Broadway, it’s clear that this is no dream.
This is a dream fully blooming, born of ardor and sacrifice, now blossoming into reality in the most spectacular of fashions.
