Jessica Lange on Why She Doesn’t Think She’ll Return to ‘American Horror Story’ Again

Sorry, but you shouldn’t expect the “AHS” alum to make an appearance on “1984” — or any future season

As “American Horror Story: 1984” premieres Wednesday, fans are wondering what twists and turns the latest season of Ryan Murphy’s FX anthology series has in store for them. Though we don’t know much yet about Season 9, one thing we can tell you with almost 100% certainty is it will not include an appearance by “AHS” alum Jessica Lange. The actress told TheWrap she doesn’t think she’ll be coming back to the franchise again after making her long-awaited return for last year’s installment, “Apocalypse.”

“I don’t think so,” Lange said in an a July interview, while discussing her Emmy nomination for reprising her Season 1 role of Constance Langdon. “I did this because it was recreating Constance, which was– for me, it was a very important time when I did that first season, ‘Murder House.’”

“But I don’t think I would want to start from scratch and create a character,” she continued. “And also I think a lot of the actors that I was working with, people that I really love working with, like Sarah [Paulson] or Frances [Conroy] or Kathy [Bates]– I don’t know who’s in this new season, but I don’t think it would be the same.”

Lange was a prominent fixture during the first four seasons of “AHS,” playing a leading role in each installment, including the parts of creepy next-door neighbor Constance in “Murder House” and (former) Supreme witch Fiona Goode in Season 3, “Coven.” She exited after Season 4, “Freak Show,” and her cameo on “Apocalypse” came about because it was a crossover between “Murder House” and “Coven,” though she only reprised the role of Constance.

And she is right about fewer familiar faces this season, as Paulson is not starring on the show for the first time since Season 1 — when she still appeared, but in a recurring role — and it is currently unknown if she will show up on “1984” at all.

Conroy and Bates are also not among the series regulars for Season 9, and neither is “AHS” staple Evan Peters, who has had a part on every previous season. However, “AHS: 1984” does star alums Emma Roberts, Cody Fern, Billie Lourd, John Carroll Lynch and Leslie Grossman, along with newcomers Gus Kenworthy, Zach Villa, DeRon Horton, Matthew Morrison and Angelica Ross.

“We were like a troupe. We were like the old-fashioned kind of troupe of actors, just moving from one part to the other,” Lange said. “And that was part of what I really loved about doing it was you’d come back with a whole different story, different characters, but the same actors year after year. And that was wonderful. But I don’t think that would be the case now and I don’t think I would want to start over from scratch really. I don’t think that will happen.”

“American Horror Story: 1984” premieres Wednesday at 10/9c on FX.

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