The Big Break: Sarah Paulson Made Film Debut in ‘Levitation’ 25 Years Ago
variety.comTim Gray Senior Vice PresidentHappy Anniversary — well, sort of “happy” — to Sarah Paulson, since it’s exactly 25 years since Variety ran a review of her feature film debut, “Levitation.” In the indie, she plays a pregnant teenager.
Critic Leonard Klady on April 14, 1997, said it was a grim saga with “a strong cast” who were “not ably supported by the script.”It’s not the most promising debut and the film was quickly forgotten, but Paulson continued to work.Like many New York actors, she worked on stage and made her TV debut in a 1994 “Law & Order” episode, about a year after her high school graduation.She continued to do theater, including Broadway’s 2005 “The Glass Menagerie” with Jessica Lange, and films, such as the Oscar winner “12 Years a Slave,” where she proved herself a team player by working hard to promote the movie, even though she had a relatively small role.
Her career was marked by a series of breakthroughs, including the second season of “American Horror Story,” created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, in which she was promoted to a leading character after a smaller role in the first season.
She appeared in nine of the show’s 10 seasons and will take part in its upcoming 11th.She was Emmy-nominated as supporting actress for HBO’s 2012 “Game Change,” written by Danny Strong and directed by Jay Roach.
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