"The Beauty" Cast on Cultural Impact, Beauty Standards & Humanity!
Previewing the new FX Series
Nerdigo was invited by FX to the exclusive global press conference for The Beauty, the brand new series created by Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story) & Matthew Hodgson (9-1-1). Based on the comic book of the same name penned by Jeremy Haun (The Realm), the series follows a sexually transmitted virus aptly titled “The Beauty” that alters one’s physical state to make them more beautiful. While the draw is that you can have conventional beauty and all that comes with it while moving through a world that values beauty as an elite form of currency, we quickly see the pitfalls and side effects—both physically, mentally, and emotionally—once these people “have it all.” So, when mysterious deaths begin happening all over the world, the FBI steps in to find the truth behind the origin of this once-in-a-lifetime miracle drug.
Filmed across Paris, Venice, New York City & Rome, The Beauty is a remarkably timely international thriller. In the current age of high beauty standards, ever-growing cosmetic treatments & injections, plus social media–driven product and surgical pushes, this series hits a little too close to home—but art tends to reflect reality in some way.
Participants included Executive Producers Evan Peters (American Horror Story: Coven), who plays FBI Agent Cooper Madsen; Anthony Ramos (Twisters), who plays The Assassin, a killer for “The Corporation;” and Jeremy Pope (Pose), who plays Jeremy, an outsider drawn to the treatment and subsequently to The Assassin. Alongside them were stars Rebecca Hall (Passing), who plays FBI Agent Jordan Bennett & Cooper’s partner, and Ashton Kutcher, who plays “The Corporation,” a tech billionaire tied to “The Beauty” drug. Read their thoughts on the current cultural and beauty landscape, how this show changed their relationship with their own bodies, if these characters have humanity behind their capitalistic dreams, and so much more!
On how The Beauty reflects the current cultural landscape, Hall shared: “In many ways, Ryan Murphy has a nose for the zeitgeist—what is current and what we’re all talking about—and he makes it subversive, provocative, and even more worth discussing. There’s a lot to be said about the chase for perfection and the commodification of beauty. Human beauty is a conceptually complicated thing; it’s not like nature. It’s not like looking at a sunrise or something objective—it’s subjective. So, the idea that you can pay for perfection and therefore hand over your idea of it to someone who is taking your money and might want more of it is complicated. What does that mean? How does it shift? What does it change? Because frankly, I think keeping people in a place of inadequacy is more profitable.”
Kutcher added: “We’re living in a world where GLP-1s are pervasive. There is demand for Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. Some people are using them for health complications, and others are using them purely for aesthetic outcomes. In addition, we have this increasing demand for cosmetic surgery, including tourism for cosmetic surgery, and people augmenting themselves to achieve a look, a feel, or a vibe that they think will either give them some sort of advantage or maybe just make them happy. On top of that, you have gene editing, which can solve genetic defects. And you start to question what is so wrong with these things? Well, ‘The Beauty’ is what happens when you amalgamate all of this into one shot. Through the lens of this show, the question for most of our characters is: what are you willing to sacrifice for that? What risks are you willing to take? And I think Ryan, as Rebecca mentioned, always has his finger on the pulse of the decisions we’re all making daily—like what skin cream am I going to use? This show gets underneath that and explores it, making you ask those questions about yourself and your worldview.”
Pope continued: “I love a piece of art that asks the audience to ask themselves the question, ‘What would you do if there was a drug or something that you could take that would make you feel like the best version of yourself?’ I think the show starts off in a very vain, vanity-driven, and physical way. But then we talk about a kid who has a disease and hasn’t been able to live their full life. As a parent or as a person observing that, what would you give to see someone step into their beauty and their light? I think that’s an interesting conversation to be having, because there are a lot of things being projected onto us via social media and the news. There’s always a medication you can take that can change certain things about yourself. So, I think it’s an active conversation about where you sit on the side of beauty—your perspective of yourself, the inner and outer work. And to me, that makes for interesting dialogue and conversation.”
On whether working on The Beauty changed his own relationship to beauty and physical perfection, Kutcher told us: “When I first decided to do this show, I asked myself, ‘What do you consider to be beautiful?’ And this show doesn’t try to define it—it lets the audience define it. I think every single person you talk to would probably have a different definition of beauty. For me, it’s imperfection that is beautiful, because imperfection represents potential. We’re all imperfect, and that’s okay. Having worked as a model and in the fashion industry when I was younger, I met what I thought were the most beautiful people in the world, and every single one of them could find something they wished they could change. Whether it’s the way you look physically, the choices you’ve made, or how you behave—we’re all these fabulous, beautiful works in progress. This show made me think about that and helped me find an honest place within myself where I became accepting of my own imperfections.”
On how Jordan and Cooper balance each other as partners, Hall revealed: “Jordan and Cooper work together but are also best friends with benefits. They’re both trying to convince themselves and each other that there’s nothing more to it, but it’s a complete lie. They’re just refusing to be vulnerable with each other. They’re both very prideful and frightened of emotional intimacy.” Peters added: “I agree. You are kind of rooting for one of them to speak up and say, ‘I don’t want you to see other people. I just want to see you, and I love you.’ But as characters, Cooper is a bit straight-edge, and Jordan is very fun and funny. Their personalities balance each other out, and Jordan brings a lot of levity to Cooper’s life.”
On The Assassin finding an unlikely protégé in Jeremy, Ramos teased: “Jeremy reminds The Assassin of himself. There’s a level of empathy that The Assassin has for Jeremy, and Jeremy brings that out of him. The Assassin spends a lot of time alone because he’s a killer, but I think he sees a kindred spirit in Jeremy. Jeremy also reminds him of someone he loves. There’s a level of loneliness—a void—that Jeremy unexpectedly fills in The Assassin’s soul and heart. It’s really cool to dive into that and see their relationship grow over time.”
Pope disclosed: “Like Anthony said, The Assassin has spent a lot of time alone, and I think the same goes for Jeremy, who is described as an incel—an involuntary celibate—looking for connection and affection. He meets someone who truly sees him and appreciates the weirdness he brings. As they begin working as a duo, they find new ways of connecting in this new experience and new life. Anthony and I have known each other for 15 years, so there’s chemistry there. Translating that into nuanced characters—who some might label villains—was about excavating the truth and getting into the psyche of these humans facing difficult stakes. To them, they believe they’re making the right choices.”
On whether The Corporation is a villain rooted purely in capitalism or driven by humanity, Kutcher shared: “I learned a long time ago that as an actor, you can’t judge your character. From 10,000 feet, you can say, ‘Wow, he’s doing some abhorrent things.’ But when you’re playing the character, you have to believe they’re doing something right. That they’re either being forced into these actions or that there’s a benevolent necessity behind them. He believes this drug can help people live better, happier lives, and if a bastardized version is harming people, he has to contain it.” Kutcher continued: “But we can all twist our perception of the world. We can create a version of ourselves that believes we’re the good ones. This character is no different—every so-called villain rationalizes their behavior.”
On playing a “good guy” after portraying many villains in the Ryan Murphy universe, Peters shared: “It was a relief—fun and exciting. When Ryan pitched it to me, he said there would be great action sequences and a complicated romance with Jordan, played by Rebecca Hall. He just wanted me to be normal and be myself, which was difficult.”
On Cooper’s complexities and goals, Peters teased: “Figuring out why people are exploding and solving the case are Cooper’s main goals. But along the way, it becomes personal. The stakes rise, and he has to go rogue without the help of peers or powerful government agencies.”
On the intense stunt work Ramos said: “Evan and I had a fun fight. We learned the stunt choreography and probably only ran it once before getting to set. We were re-learning it as we shot it in pieces, but it allowed us to add character moments. Throwing bodies, kicks—it was just really fun to shoot.” Peters added: “Shoutout to Mark Fichera and Jason Mello from our stunts team, who choreographed these long, detailed fight sequences and helped with the transformations.”
On Jeremy’s physical transformation Pope concluded: “We did boxing training leading into the show, and it helped because the series is very physical. Ryan often changes things on the day, so you must stay flexible. My transformation became more of a ballet—expressing someone feeling their body rather than just body horror. There’s beauty in finding this perfected self. I think Jeremy’s transformation is shot beautifully, and I’m excited for audiences to see the work we put into it.”
Catch The Beauty on Wednesday nights, only on FX!
Editor’s Note: This article has been condensed for clarity and length. Statements have been edited for readability while preserving the original meaning and intent of the speakers.
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