5 Questions With Frances Conroy
Much of Frances Conroy's most popular work has dealt with the examination of other realms -- from Six Feet Under's spiritual enlightenment to American Horror Story's paranormal activity -- and that is equally true of her latest movie, 6 Souls, co-starring Julianne Moore and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
In the thriller, Moore plays Cara Harding, psychologist who specializes in multiple personalities, but finds everything she knows tested upon meeting a man (played by Meyers) whose body hosts multiple inhabitants. But as Harding digs deeper, she soon learns that there might be something a little more "hell"acious at play.
ETonline caught up with Conroy to talk about her quick but memorable performance in the film, how all these projects have changed her perception of reality and what fans can expect from season three of American Horror Story.
ETonline: What attracted you to 6 Souls?
Frances Conroy: Since it's about faith and a lack of faith, it goes into religious dimensions which take it beyond being just a scary movie. There are some heavy elements in play, which make it so deep and terrifying. That was an interesting story to be a part of.
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ETonline: You've done a lot of genre work, but do you enjoy watching scary movies?
Conroy: No, no, no. I've never watched them. They're just too scary. But I do think there have some been some important projects in the last few years, certainly American Horror Story.
ETonline: AHS, Six Feet Under and 6 Souls really examine the boundaries of our reality. Does working on these projects make you rethink your perspective on that kind of thing?
Conroy: You are always informed by the work you do on a project. It can't help but affect the way you look at certain things and I think we live in an existence where there are forces or presences around us at all times. I truly believe that. I think there are times where we're more aware of these presences and sometimes our sensitivities are heightened -- I mean, you can't be aware of them at all times because you'd never get anything done.
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ETonline: I loved the two characters you got to play in this last season of AHS. Had you ever played someone like bruiser who tormented Jessica's character?
Conroy: I played something like that years ago in a production of a George Adams play, and I loved it this time around too. It was yet another gift from Ryan [Murphy, creator] in that he allowed me to play this fantastic creature that I hadn't gotten to do in a while. I think Ryan has a very keen eye and he's always studying the people who are working with him. He just senses things about you and will write something for you that's just fantastic and you totally didn't anticipate.
ETonline: You'll be back for season three -- can you tell me how significant your role is this time around and what excites you about the character?
Conroy: I'll be in it pretty significantly. I'll be doing about 10 of the 13 episodes, but beyond that, we don't know anything yet. I'm waiting to see what's written to see who I'll be playing. I haven't seen any scripts yet, so all I know is that it's going to be in New Orleans and who will be involved. Beyond that, it's a matter of waiting for the wonderful writers to create the next world for us to inhabit.
6 Souls is now on demand and in theaters on April 5.