Emmy Winner Shocks With Unrecognizable Transformation Into Real-Life Killer
The actress portrays one of America’s most notorious murderers.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Sarah Paulson shocked fans with her transformation into real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos.
The 51-year-old actress takes on the role of Wuornos in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, the fourth season of Ryan Murphy’s true crime drama on Netflix.
In the trailer released Thursday, Paulson is seen with a jagged blond haircut, thin eyebrows, and a blank expression.
Her overall look is far from her usual polished, glamorous self, but closely resembles both the real-life Wuornos and Charlize Theron’s Oscar-winning portrayal of the killer in the 2003 film Monster.
“No one really knows what happened that day,” a voice says.
“Oh, I f---ing know what happened,” Paulson, in character as Wuornos, responds.
Sign up to receive news and updates from The Looker
By clicking “Sign Up” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Sarah Pulson plays Aileen Wuornos in the latest "Monster" season.
Instagram / @netflix
The eight-episode season, which premieres on Netflix on September 17, centers on Lizzie Borden, the Massachusetts woman accused of killing her father and stepmother with an ax in 1892.
Actress Ella Beatty, 26, stars as Borden, who was 32 when she went on trial for the double murder. After a lengthy and widely publicized trial, a jury acquitted Borden of both killings by a jury after just 90 minutes of deliberation.
Ella Beatty (right) will play Lizzie Borden. Here, she poses with Sarah Paulson at a 2026 event.
Stephanie Augello/WWD via Getty Images
The series depicts Wuornos as being fascinated and inspired by Borden’s story.
“The show is exploring a legacy of female rage and reaction to the set of circumstances that they are presented with,” Beatty told Netflix’s Tudum.
Aileen Wuornos was convicted of seven murders and sentenced to death in 1992. She was executed in 2002.
David Tucker/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“Every season of Monster has been an exercise in understanding the person’s psychology,” Beatty said. “Are they born or are they made?”
Wuornos, a sex worker, shot and killed seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. After being arrested in 1991, she maintained that she acted in self-defense after the men assaulted or attempted to rape her.
Charlize Theron’s terrifying portrayal of real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos earned her the 2004 Academy Award for Best Actress.
Newmarket Films
A jury convicted Wuornos of one count of first-degree murder in 1992, and she later pleaded no contest to three murders and guilty to two additional murders. She received six death sentences.
Wuornos was executed by lethal injection in Florida on October 9, 2002, at age 46. She was the 10th woman to be executed in the United States since the Supreme Court reinstituted the death penalty in 1976.
One year after her execution, actress Charlize Theron transformed into Wuornos for the film Monster, a role for which she won the 2004 Academy Award for Best Actress.
Charlize Theron underwent a full-body transformation to play Aileen Wuornos.
Frank Micelotta/Getty Images
Monster co-creator Ian Brennan suggested Paulson’s performance as Wuornos stands out even among her previous roles.
In 2016, Paulson won the 2016 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for her portrayal of prosecutor Marcia Clark in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.
“Sarah Paulson’s good in a production of reading the phone book,” Brennan told Vanity Fair. “But she really is something else in this show.”
Paulson has received numerous other accolades for her on-screen performances, including a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors’ Guild Award.
Holland Taylor and Sarah Paulson, who have been in a relationship since 2015, hold hands at the 2024 Tony Awards.
Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic
Her longtime partner, actress Holland Taylor, has stated that Paulson “breaks the mold, throws assumptions out the window, does it her way. She will always surprise us.”
“Sarah, the actress, is first of all a wild creature in the animal kingdom,” Taylor, 83, said at Paulson’s Walk of Fame ceremony in 2025. “Warm-blooded, instinctive, mysterious.”
Sarah Paulson has worked with Ryan Murphy in 15 projects, playing 19 distinct characters.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
The new season marks the first installment of Murphy and Brennan’s Monster anthology that focuses on a woman.
Previous seasons centered on serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who was murdered in prison in 1994 when he was 34; brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez, whose campaign to be released from prison received significant media attention in 2024 as a result of the series; and graverobbing murderer (and Hannibal Lecter inspiration) Ed Gein, who died in a Wisconsin mental institution in 1984 when he was 77.
The Menendez brothers' extended family blasted Ryan Murphy and Netflix over the depiction of their parents' real-life murders in "Monsters."
Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
Unlock a year of full access to The Looker and The Daily Beast for $35.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Ad-Free
$79
First year then $119.99/year
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Looker and The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Ad-Free
$79
First year then $119.99/year
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in
Login dialog
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…