Everyone's favorite FX thriller series is still ages away from its October premiere, but predictions about American Horror Story: Freak Show 's new characters have only just begun. Sure, we now know more about AHS vet Sarah Paulson’s double duty role, however, very little is known about the rest of the cast. One theory we have is that Kathy Bates will play The Bearded Lady, and as hardcore horror freaks ourselves, we decided to dig a little deeper to see if there’s any weight behind this particular prediction. And it turns out — there is!
After researching popular Bearded Ladies of the past (as one often does in their spare time), there was one woman by the name of Jane Barnell (stage name: Lady Olga), who just so happened to be around during the year of 1950 — the exact time period that series creator Ryan Murphy promised Freak Show would cover. Coincidence? Possibly… if that’s all we had to go on, that is.
It turns out that Lady Olga's mother sold her daughter to the Great Orient Family Circus, which was later merged with a circus that took her to Germany. And hey, isn’t Jessica Lange’s character supposed to be from Germany? From there, she eventually met a circus “strongman,” who convinced her to join the American circus ring. (Perhaps Jupiter, Florida was one of their frequent stops.)
Speaking of a strongman, Murphy recently divulged to TVLine that AHS newcomer Michael Chiklis will be playing “a strong man who’s married to Angela Bassett” throughout the season. Could this be the very same strongman who recruits a bearded Bates? Let’s not forget that Chiklis’ character is supposed to be an ex-husband to whoever Bates plays, so this little discovery could explain how the two of them first met. And if Bassett’s the new lady love in his life, we could very well be looking at another Bassett/Bates throwdown. Did I mention that the real Lady Olga died in 1951? Hold onto your heads!
And while we’re on the subject, Lady Olga was married a total of four times with her last marriage being to Thomas O’Boyle — her manager and a veteran clown. Good thing we aren’t expecting Freak Show to have any killer clowns or anything. Perhaps this is the role Chiklis will inhabit or some freaky combination of the two. Because, really, what could be more horrifying than a Clown Killer with super strength? Possibly the fact that two women could be fighting over him. Thanks in advance for the nightmares, Murphy!
Image: Wifflegif
