Actor Recalls Path From Vacuuming Rugs to Leading AHS Finale

Six weeks passed between Joey Pollari's work as a production assistant at a Ryan Murphy premiere and his first in-person audition in four years. Pollari vacuumed the blue carpet and handed out markers and water bottles at the Doctor Odyssey premiere in August 2024. Forty minutes later, Murphy walked that carpet. About five weeks after that audition, Murphy phoned to say Pollari had the part in Monster: The Ed Gein Story.

Murphy later offered Pollari the lead in American Horror Story season 13. Pollari plays Ben DeSoto, who begins the season as a boyfriend terrified of the number 13 and is later revealed to be the son of Satan. Pollari said he did not know the twist when he signed on. He was told only that Ben would be the entry point for meeting returning characters. The surprise arrived with a script in which Ben has "616" branded on his lower back.

Pollari described a second shock in the same script, when Ben tells the coven, "I believe you're looking for me" after meeting his father. He also said Murphy told him he would share many scenes with Jessica Lange and serve as the gateway to returning characters. Pollari has seen parts of the show online and watched the pilot years ago, but not all of Murder House. He viewed his newcomer status as an advantage because Ben is also new to that world and to Constance Langdon.

The season 12th episode ended with a reveal that Fiona Goode of Coven and Constance Langdon of Murder House are sisters separated at birth, with Sister Jude of Asylum as their biological mother. The episode also left Cordelia, played by Sarah Paulson, and Queenie, played by Gabourey Sidibe, in danger. Pollari said he worked with nearly the whole cast except Kathy Bates, who has one scene.

Pollari also worked with Emma Roberts, whose Madison Montgomery shares a bottle episode with Ben. He said the two clicked immediately and that some improvisation occurred in the episode. Pollari declined to say what happens next, offering only that "it's not over until it's over" and that "mum's the word" on the characters' fates. He said any decision about Ben's return belongs to the writers, though he would be interested. The finale airs Oct. 29 at 9 p.m. on FX and streams the next day on Hulu.