Adina Porter – American Horror Story: Double Feature

By: Kelly Kearney

Q) You’re back with this double feature season and you’re playing this Chief Burleson of Provincetown how was that role described to you and what was your first reaction when you read the script?

A) Well, I got to read the script without knowing who I was going to play. We all were given a script and I fell in love with the chief and then I just crossed my fingers and hoped that I got to play her; and yay, I did!

Q) So, does the cast get a rundown of the entire season or does the plot unfold with each script the cast is given?

A) No, no, no, we- I get the very first one; just the first one. And this year, and especially because it was all during the pandemic, I was like “Thank you, Jesus!” I remember other seasons, a few seasons ago – it might have been Cult – (it can get a little confusing now) and going to the costume fitting because the faces were covered up so you didn’t know who was playing who or what the face looked like but you were getting an idea of the costume that you were going to be wearing and then you were being measured in the dark. But I always kind of think of “American Horror Story” as theater but with an amazing budget. And then you’re beyond grateful to be in this ensemble and you can just lie back and relax and, like a trust exercise in an acting class, fall back and you know wherever you’re going to land it’s going to be magnificent.

Q) You mentioned the pandemic and after a two-year break in a worldwide horror story of our own, this season feels a bit like an epic homecoming and a big sigh of relief. After dusting off the old blood-curdling screams and getting back to work, did it feel sort of like a return to normalcy for you and the cast; or as normal as bloodsucking fame hunters can be?

A) Right? [laughs] Well, in one way it was not normal. A bunch of actors getting together, we usually talk about everything. So, when we are sitting around waiting to go on, you know that’s when we get to talk about what one of our husbands did and with the crew too, you know? We find out what’s happening with other people’s lives and stuff, but now we live in a world where we’re wearing masks and we have to keep six-feet distance. So, that same kind of camaraderie was…[sigh] It was missing. So, yeah, I felt that.

Q) We have to talk about last night’s episode. I was sad to see the Chief die since she was the only one who wasn’t influenced by the drug or impressed with the artists. It made her so relatable. Talk a bit about what went into the Chief’s bloodletting and if you and Ryan Kiera Armstrong rehearsed that scene before shooting.

A) Yes! Yes, we definitely did rehearse that scene before shooting. Because there is a certain amount of choreography that went into it…Because of Eryn [Krueger] Mekash (“Thirst “producer and make-up designer) and Mike [Delgado] (stunt performer) you know that they’re going to make you look great dying and so you just kind of have to make sure that you, that I, follow their instructions so that the artery can be pierced just in the in the right way; but to go…and also as an actor, there’s some things that you read that were in the script that didn’t make it to the final cut and the Chief was bigger, and not in line wise but more like she was a little bit more, kind of, off-center and a little bit more-larger than life with the things that she said. But then I can see why, in the final cut, it was important that she was grounded because she left a big city. She left Oakland to go to this small little town where she thought she could basically coast and relax and get an early retirement and still have a paycheck. She, unlike so many other people around her, was not interested in stardom. So, I’m glad that you saw that she was relatable. It has…now I miss some of the lines that were said, boy! I miss some of the lines that were said! [laughs] They’ll find their way onto the back of some DVD someday, of scenes that didn’t make it. But, yes, we needed someone that was relatable and grounded.

Q) I loved that she lacked a filter. It was almost as if she was sick to death of these privileged WASPS and the more, she was forced to interact with the Gardeners, the more her mannerisms turned salty and sarcastic. Was all of that written into the script or are you allowed some leeway with ad-libbing?”

A) Well, that was me. [laughs] As you know, as a black person, I can kind of relate with having to deal with… [laughs] It’s not my first time! I mean, after this summer, y’all know what we have to go through. So, I very much enjoyed the whole [charmingly sarcastic], “Oh, yes, yes, just making white folk happy” thing. Yeah, that was fun.

Q) That was that was my favorite part because I felt that eye-roll even when she wasn’t eye-rolling.

A) [laughs] Yay!

Q) So, Adina, out of all the seasons you’ve done in this universe which character has been your favorite and why?

A) Oh, that’s easy, Beverly Muthaf*ckin’ Hope [laughing] because I got an Emmy nomination! Sorry, that was easy. I am beyond grateful to just be working as an actress, but then to have an Emmy nom…You know, it’s OK! [laughs] Obama winning the presidency was my favorite day of my life and the Emmy was the second. OK, maybe the Emmy was the first and Obama winning the presidency was the second. [laughs]

Q) What would you like to say to the fans and the supporters of your work, because they were very excited that I was going to be talking to you, even my niece who was screamed when she heard about this interview. The fans really do love your work.

A) Aww! Thank you! Well, I’m just going to say thank you very much for tuning in and following me on this crazy journey that I am beyond privileged to have and stay tuned because there are more things coming.

Q) Well, I can’t wait, and I hope to see you in the second half of this Double Feature. I know it is top-secret and you can’t speak about it, but the fans are really looking forward to it. So, thanks so much for speaking with me today. It was such a pleasure, and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the season pans out and whatever projects you have in the works for the future.

A) The next…right now I’m in Chicago doing something for Amazon. So, stay tuned!