‘American Horror’ stories – Local actresses share their experiences on the FX show
In just three seasons, FX’s American Horror Story has garnered acclaim and fans across the nation. The third season, subtitled Coven and set in New Orleans, wraps up tonight at 9 p.m. central.
Filming of Coven was done right here in Louisiana, and a few Baton Rougeans got in on the experience.
Heaven Needham and Anna Lee were featured in the sixth episode of this season, “The Axeman Cometh.” Needham, an actress from Oklahoma who moved here last year, played a witch from the 1920s named Sunny. Lee was a featured extra who shared scenes with the season’s villain, an ax murderer played by Danny Huston (Children of Men, Forty Days of Night).
When Needham moved to Louisiana, she started getting interested in the show and heard about it being filmed locally. She had done a few side gigs, but she says this was the first proper acting experience she’s had.
“It was a fast-paced situation,” she says. “We shot for three days.”
Needham says finally seeing the episode last November was an interesting experience.
“When you’re filming, you see the millions of people behind the camera,” she says. “On TV, it looks so much different than what I remember. We took so many shots from different angles. I had no idea what the end result would be.”
On set, she was a bit nervous when she met the show’s star, Jessica Lange.
“It was a funny situation because I had met her poodle first,” she says. “I started to pet this dog, and she walked out of her trailer. She was very sweet.”
Lee was a huge fan of the show before getting called to be an extra. Before this, she was an extra in the recent Bonnie and Clyde miniseries that was shot in Baton Rouge. In American Horror Story, Lee and a few others played a group of witches who tricked and killed the ax murderer.
“I’m so lucky to be a part of it,” she says. “The scene was about five minutes, and you can see me reading the newspaper, then actually stabbing [Danny Huston]. He actually was very, very nice and personable.”
Though Needham is looking for more acting work in and around Louisiana in an effort to make it her career, Lee is happy taking up extra roles as a hobby.
“If acting would end up happening, I would be OK with it,” Lee says. “I’m hoping to make being an extra a hobby. There are so many opportunities. I love being a part of the process, then sinking back into regular life afterwards.”
