Sarah Paulson Talks Executive Producing Her First Film ‘Hold Your Breath’ & The Mental “Exhaustion” Of Being A Scream Queen

deadline.com:

With another spooky season upon us, it’s Sarah Paulson‘s time to shine in the genre she loves. After executive producing her first film Hold Your Breath, which landed today on Hulu, the Golden Globe winner opened up about being “in charge” on set and how “exhaustion” helped her tap into her latest role in the psychological thriller. “I almost felt like I was too busy trying to hold the complete story in my head to allow myself to descend too deeply inside of it,” Paulson tells Deadline. “And I feel like sometimes it’s just an occupational hazard, that reality.

I wish I had a real answer of how I shake it because sometimes I don’t think that I do. I think it all just gets into the sort of nooks and crannies of my being and makes a house there, so I’m not always the best at alleviating some of that.” Written by Karrie Crouse and marking her and husband Will Joines‘ feature directorial debut, Hold Your Breath takes place amid the horrific dust storms of 1930s Oklahoma.

Paulson stars as Margaret Bellum, a woman convinced that a sinister presence is threatening her family. Produced by Alix Madigan and Lucas Joaquin, the film also stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Annaleigh Ashford, as well as Amiah Miller and Alona Jane Robbins as Margaret’s daughters.

Filled with ever-relevant themes like the climate crisis and the country’s struggle between mental health and religion, Hold Your Breath offered a perspective that appealed to Paulson.