Wonderland talks to the newest Monsters lead Ella Beatty about her role embodying the supposed parricide, Lizzie Borden.

Less than three minutes into the show’s first episode, Ella Beatty, who plays the infamous Lizzie Borden in Ryan Murphy’s fourth Monsters instalment, is seen holding an axe in hand. She’s bracing herself for her first slashing. First her mother, played by Rebecca Hall, then her father, played by Charlie Hunnam, are the victims of her unruly violence. A blood-splattered introductory scene later, and Lizzie Borden is seen standing lonesome, defying all notions and expectations of inoffensiveness set on women at the time.

You may have heard of the tale of the famed killer from the nursery rhyme – “Lizzie Borden took an axe / And gave her mother forty whacks / When she saw what she had done / She gave her father forty-one.” Or maybe, if X (formerly Twitter) is your digital stomping ground, you will have seen the clip of Beatty dancing alongside Jessie Lee, Vicky Krieps, and Ryan Murphy productions darling Sarah Paulson to “Smalltown Boy” by Bronski Beats. Either way, the story sets itself up for a classic Murphy interpretation – viscous lore, an ’80s infused soundtrack, and a queer eroticism to wrap it all together.

For Ella though, this isn’t the first time stepping into his beautifully twisted world. After multiple off-Broadway appearances, the Julliard graduate stepped into the role of Kerry O’Shea in the second season of the American anthology, Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, directed by Gus Van Sant and produced by Murphy. She’s also starred in the award-winning If I Had Legs I’d Kick You alongside Rose Byrne, as well as having bagged a role in Sarah Polley’s upcoming film adaptation of The Bell Jar – safe to say, psychologically challenging stories seem to be her niche. Sometimes the witness, sometimes a bystander, this time the perpetrator.

When Wonderland hops on a Zoom call with the young actor, boxes piled up behind her take over her background. She apologises for the mess. “I’m moving to Brooklyn,” she explains, not so far from her current home in New York. With her new leading role, and a new place to match, there’s an aura around Ella that she’s just only getting started.

Below, she talks costuming, blood spillage, and embodying Lizzie Borden in the new Monsters series. Keep reading…

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I’m a huge fan of Ryan Murphy. I’ve watched almost all of American Horror Story. I’ve seen all of the Monsters series. So when I heard of the Lizzie Borden story, I was like, “Oh my God, yes, this is so exciting.” So, how did you first get wind of this project? Did you get an audition for it? How did that all happen?

I had an audition come through my agents, and I was immediately so excited by the idea that Lizzie Borden was going to be the next Monster. Also, the Monster previously has been an all male anthology, so I was very excited by the idea that it was going to be a woman. But I felt, for me personally, it was a very long shot. 

I read the material for the audition and I connected to [it] right away. I called a friend that I went to acting school with, and she came over, and we made the self tape together. And I sent it off, thinking what are the odds? You’re probably sending it into the abyss. You’ll never hear anything. And I heard. I got wind the next day.

Wow, a 24 hour turnaround. You must have really impressed them.

Yeah, it’s crazy

Had you heard of the Lizzie Borden story before receiving the script?

I was familiar with the nursery rhyme, and I had a broad cultural understanding of her, but I didn’t know any specifics about her case or her life. 

Obviously, as you said, this is like a murder story that’s notorious for the fact that it’s a woman who’s the culprit, which is quite rare. So how did you approach embodying this role? Were there any other on-screen female killers that you looked up to for inspiration?

I didn’t look so much at other female killers. I mainly stuck with the material that I had in front of me, which was so rich. And I read a really wonderful book called The Trial of Lizzie Borden [by Cara Robertson] that I referenced a lot. 

Right in the beginning, I also worked with a wonderful movement coach named Julia Crockett to create her physicality. We don’t know how she sounded. We don’t know how she moved. So I worked in the beginning to find that and tried to mainly focus on creating the person that was on the page.

As you did, the wider public might know Lizzie from the nursery rhyme, or they might know her for her crimes committed by axe. But what was something that you didn’t know about her, and that maybe the wider public doesn’t know about her that they would be surprised to find out?

I always feel that she really loved animals. I was really surprised by that, and that was something that felt really rich to explore for her as a character. It really surprised me. She had an animal shelter later in life. 

That’s so interesting because that’s usually an early on-set sign in male serial killer stories, that violence towards animals often leads to violence against other humans. What kind of animal did she shelter? 

She loved birds. She had doves. She [also had] cats. She had some very beloved dogs at the end of her life. 

Recreating this story in this day and age allows for hindsight, to explore how societal and gender norms affected Lizzie. Do you think this lens helped you portray a character that demands more empathy from the public, now knowing this context?

I think the show is really interested in exploring female rage and a response to societal repression. Our show takes place in the 1890s, but I think there will be things about what culture was like for women at that moment in America that will feel really resonant today. And the show absolutely has a kind of modern wink and texture to it that I think makes it feel really topical.

One of the most striking elements, to me, was the queer arc, where the audience gets to see Lizzie and her housemaid live out this romantic relationship. I had no idea about Lizzie’s sexuality, so I obviously Googled it, and it’s not confirmed. There were rumors, there were whispers, but there isn’t enough evidence for it to be concrete fact. So how do you think featuring this queer arc adds to Lizzie’s profile and story?

Ryan always says that his work is a painting, not a documentary. So, I think that unconfirmed in real life romance [slash] friendship is something that the show certainly takes a creative liberty with. I can only speak to our characters in our show. That relationship is so transformative for Lizzie and so important to her journey of self-discovery, and it’s really foundational to her experience in the show.

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Another stand out, for me, in this show, were the costumes. Did you have a favorite one that you got to wear?

No one’s asked me that yet. Our costume designer and entire costume team was so incredible. Our costume designer Paula [Bradley] is a genius. Hmm [my favourite would have to be] the outfit that I wore in court, walking out of the courthouse. But there were so many incredible ones. There were so many incredible nightgowns that I got to wear. I also 

loved those because that meant no corset.

True, that must have been painful, but worth it. 

Yes.

Did you have any drawbacks when it was like these scenes with a lot of blood and getting it on the costumes?

I wanted to just throw my whole self and heart and brain and body and spirit into this person and this part. I felt if I was going to do it any justice, I had to go no holds barred, and so I tried not to worry about the blood too much.

I think that’s the best way to do it. It’s a shame for the clothes, but it must be done for the camera.

Completely. And there were whole teams of incredible people to track the blood spatter and make sure it was consistent, and it’s really interesting, actually.

Very technical behind-the-scenes.

Yeah, absolutely.

The team that I get to see on screen is some of Ryan Murphy’s familiar faces. We have Billy Lourde, Charlie Hunnam, Sarah Paulson – which, she’s an icon. Was there anyone in particular that you gravitated towards on set? Someone who welcomed you into the twisted world of Ryan Murphy?

Oh, every single actor that I got to work on this show with was totally extraordinary. And also so warm and welcoming, and individual. Charlie had just come off of Ed Gein. Rebecca [Hall] had just done the beauty. Sarah, of course, has done many many Ryan projects before. So has Billy. I was really amongst [the] greats, and everybody was so welcoming and wonderful.

Talking about Ryan himself, had you heard anything of what it was like to work with him? Did you find that those ideas were contradictory to your own experience, or were they on par?

I had heard that Ryan’s universes were completely exciting and detailed, and that actors got the opportunity to play really amazing characters. I had also worked on one of Ryan’s shows previously called Feud: Capote vs. The Swans. It was directed by Gus Van Sant, so I didn’t have a lot of interaction with Ryan then. But I loved being a part of his world, and I feel so grateful to him for that opportunity. It really was my introduction into television. I had done primarily theater, so I knew a little bit about him and his world. But I found this experience to be totally incredible and expansive and fun. There was so much to sink my teeth into as an actress, I felt like my voice was always in the room. I felt protected and really lucky to get to play such an incredible character as a woman.

I have one last question for you. Historically, Lizzie Borden was acquitted of her trial, but to this day, she sort of remains the main suspect in the case. So, do you personally think she did

I have my own thoughts and feelings about that-the answer to that question. But I think for me, the important thing about this show was telling the story that was on the page, and the creators of the show, Ryan and Ian [Brennan, showrunner], did take a stance. For me, and for us, the show was less about did she do it or not, and more about if she did it, why?