Monica Lewinsky Feared Sarah Paulson's Acting, Said 'Oh No, Now Everybody's Going To Like...'

Movie fanatics are well aware of Sarah Paulson's notoriety as a versatile actor. The American actress gained fame for her collaborations with producer, Rhyn Murphy, particularly for playing different characters in the American Crime Story series. Her role in Impeachment: American Crime Story as a controversial political figure garnered her significant critical acclaim, but also raised concerns from the show's producer, Monica Lewinsky. 

Monica Lewinsky reveals how she felt watching Sarah Paulson play Linda Tripp's character

Sarah Paulson is no stranger to playing controversial figures. However, it was not surprising that Monica Lewinsky, a first-time producer, had concerns of her own about Paulson playing 'Linda Tripp', especially given that Lewinsky herself was a subject for the show and had bad blood with Linda Tripp in real life.

For those who are not aware, the series famously followed the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, which broke out in 1998 and ultimately resulted in the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. During Sarah Paulson's appearance on her podcast, Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky, she reflected on the moments she panicked behind the scenes, stating:

"I was so afraid that you would do such a good job that then people — it was this irrational like 5-year-old fear of, ‘Oh no, now everybody’s going to like [her]’ — and I remember you so generously said to me early on, you were so assuring of like, ‘We’re not giving her the Marcia Clark treatment.''

This admission by Monica Lewinsky did not come as a shock to Sarah Paulson. In fact, she acknowledged Lewinsky's fears and said they were entirely valid. Assuring Lewinsky, Paulson stated:

“I think any amount of humanity coming out into the world towards Linda would be uncomfortable for you, as well; it should be, you know what I mean? I think that it was a very difficult thing for you to sort of be sitting inside and trying to balance your producorial responsibilities or your desire to sort of want to make sure that certain truths were being told."

Sarah Paulson's views on her performance as 'Linda Tripp' 

Getting into the backstory, Linda Tripp, a Pentagon employee, had become close friends with Monica Lewinsky, who was in her early 20s and interning in the White House during Bill Clinton's presidency. However, their friendship resulted in Tripp controversially recording and releasing over 20 hours of private conversations with Lewinsky during the Clinton vs. Jones harassment case. 

While Sarah Paulson did not agree with Linda Tripp's actions in real life, she was proud of the way in which she portrayed Tripp's character, claiming that she doesn't think the same way about the dozens of roles she has played in other series or movies. Paulson further revealed that she even considered getting an 'L', the initial of her character's name, tattooed on her body. While she did not watch the first season of the crime anthology series in which she played ‘Clark’, she tells Monica Lewinsky that she did watch this one, stating:

"I know people responded very positively to it, but I haven't watched it myself. But the Linda thing I did watch, and I really was like, 'Wow, I am truly proud of the work I did on it. So the tattoo was not so much like 'I love Linda Tripp,' but more of this feeling of this experience was something I wanted to mark somehow in a kind of ceremonial way for myself — but I didn't do it."

Do you think Monica Lewinsky's fear of Sarah Paulson playing the character of 'Linda Tripp' is rational? Let us know.

Also read: Eddie Murphy's Eldest Daughter Bira Murphy Is Expecting Her First Child With Husband, Michale Xavier

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