Sarah Paulson Transforms Into Aileen Wuornos in Netflix’s ‘Monster The Lizzie Borden Story’

Physical transformation has become a hallmark for actors seeking awards recognition, but few recent examples have sparked as much online discussion as this one. Ryan Murphy’s true-crime anthology has consistently pushed its cast into increasingly dramatic makeovers, and the latest installment is no different.

“Monster,” the Netflix series that has previously explored Jeffrey Dahmer, the Menendez brothers, and Ed Gein across its first three seasons, is returning for a fourth installment titled “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.” Set to premiere on September 17, this eight-episode season focuses on Lizzie Borden, the Massachusetts woman accused of murdering her father and stepmother with an ax in 1892, who was ultimately acquitted after just 90 minutes of jury deliberation.

While the central story is compelling enough to generate buzz, it’s the season’s secondary storyline that is currently making headlines. Sarah Paulson has undergone a striking transformation to portray Aileen Wuornos, the infamous serial killer whose crimes occurred nearly a century after Borden’s alleged murders. Newly released images reveal her looking almost completely unrecognizable in this role.

Paulson’s portrayal of Wuornos features blonde hair and matching eyebrows, a stark contrast to her usual appearance, closely resembling both the real-life killer and Charlize Theron’s Oscar-winning interpretation of Wuornos in the 2003 film “Monster.” Netflix confirmed the casting alongside a trailer showcasing Paulson fully embodying the character, marking her fifteenth collaboration with Ryan Murphy across various projects, including “American Horror Story,” “Ratched,” and “All’s Fair.”

According to Netflix, the new season intertwines dual timelines, with the Wuornos storyline serving as a separate yet thematically linked thread rather than the season’s main focus. The show reportedly depicts Wuornos as being inspired by Borden’s story decades later, connecting the two infamous cases through a shared exploration of violence and societal expectations placed on women.

Ella Beatty, daughter of Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, stars as Lizzie Borden herself, marking her most prominent television role to date following her appearance in “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.” Discussing the season’s broader thematic goals, Beatty noted that the show is delving into a legacy of female rage and the reactions of these women to their circumstances, as she shared with Netflix’s Tudum.

Beatty further elaborated on the anthology’s overall approach, stating that each season of “Monster” has served as an exploration of a killer’s psychology, questioning whether they were born or made. This season takes on new dimensions as it is the first installment in the anthology to center specifically on a woman’s story.

Not everyone is fully convinced by Paulson’s transformation. While many fans have praised her physical shift into Wuornos, others have expressed skepticism on social media, arguing that the change wasn’t dramatic enough to warrant being called truly unrecognizable. Some have pointed out that her performance still reads clearly as Paulson herself despite the styling changes.

This skepticism is further complicated by broader questions about the necessity of another portrayal of Wuornos, given Theron’s iconic Oscar-winning performance and Lily Rabe’s earlier interpretation of the character in “American Horror Story: Hotel.” Netflix has also previously covered Wuornos in the documentary “Aileen: Queen of Serial Killers,” adding another layer to how audiences may compare Paulson’s version against existing portrayals.

The new installment arrives after Season 3’s “The Ed Gein Story” faced a notably poor critical reception, holding just a 22 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics alongside a mixed 50 percent audience Popcornmeter rating. This underwhelming response has raised the stakes for “The Lizzie Borden Story” to deliver a stronger critical showing when it premieres later this month.

With “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story” set to debut on September 17 on Netflix, audiences will soon have the opportunity to evaluate Paulson’s transformation and the season’s dual-timeline approach for themselves.

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