Impeachment: American Crime Story viewers were left shocked by Sarah Paulson’s ‘unsettling’ Linda Tripp transformation as the first episode of the series arrived on BBC Two.
Tuesday night’s opening instalment saw the third season of the series begin to tell the story around the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal – and it was Sarah as the American civil servant who caught the eye.
The role has been the subject of much debate online, with actress Sarah previously speaking out about the criticism she received for wearing a ‘fat suit’ to play the character.
She wore a five pound ‘fat suit’ to emulate Linda’s appearance after also gaining 30lbs, putting on prosthetic teeth, a prosthetic nose, and a wig.
Viewers on social media discussed the transformation – with some claiming to have ‘no idea’ it was Sarah until well into the episode.
‘Wow had no idea that was Sarah Paulson,’ one viewer said.
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‘Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp is unsettling,’ another added.
‘The prosthetics budget on this must have run into millions,’ one viewer tweeted.
The 46-year-old has come in for scrutiny online after her involvement in the series was revealed, with some critics quick to call out the casting choice.
They claimed the role should’ve gone to an actor more similar in size to the real Linda Tripp and, by accepting the job, Sarah was taking up space deserved by ‘fat’ actors.
The actress went on to discuss the backlash in an interview with Los Angeles Times.
‘It’s very hard for me to talk about this without feeling like I’m making excuses. There’s a lot of controversy around actors and fat suits, and I think that controversy is a legitimate one,’ she said.
‘I think fat phobia is real. I think to pretend otherwise causes further harm. And it is a very important conversation to be had. But that entire responsibility I don’t think falls on the actor for choosing to do something that is arguably, and I’m talking about from the inside out, the challenge of a lifetime.’
Impeachment: American Crime Story, created by Ryan Murphy, tells the story of Bill Clinton’s infamous affair with then 22-year-old intern Monica Lewinsky in 1994, which led to the President’s impeachment
Impeachment: American Crime Story episode one is available to watch on BBC iPlayer
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