American Horror Story: 1984 marked the first time in the show's history that actress Sarah Paulson didn't appear in any capacity. After serving a recurring role in season 1's Murder House, Paulson returned for every following installment, but that ended in season 9. The acclaimed figure became a go-to cast member for co-creator Ryan Murphy, making her a fan-favorite mainstay. When 1984 came along in 2019, Paulson elected to take a break for the long-running horror anthology for a justifiable reason.
Before starring in American Horror Story, Paulson collaborated with Murphy on the medical thriller Nip/Tuck. Following her portrayal as Billie Dean Howard in Murder House, Paulson emerged as one of the show's key female leads along with notable names like Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, and Angela Bassett. In total, Paulson has played 11 characters through her eight seasons. Aside from that, the actress has worked with Murphy on The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story and Feud: Bette and Joan, which further solidified their professional relationship.
1984 was a highly anticipated installment due to the fact that the theme was influenced by the slasher genre of horror. Despite the fact that the season was set to focus on a younger crew headlined by Emma Roberts, a slew of AHS vets was cast in supporting roles. While Paulson was absent from the cast list, along with fellow mainstay Evan Peters, there were rumors she would at least appear in the show's milestone 100th episode. That didn't happen and Paulson later confirmed in an interview (via Vulture) that she asked Murphy to sit out from 1984 to focus on other projects.
American Horror Story season 9 filming commenced in the summer of 2019, and it lasted through the fall months. Around that same time, Paulson was coming off of filming Murphy's Ratched in the titular role of Mildred Ratched. From there, she moved right into Mrs. America, a Hulu series focused on the political move to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. The filming for the historical drama overlapped with 1984's production schedule. Though Paulson still had an interest in AHS, she felt that it was important to put all her energy into Mrs. America, based on the weight of the story and characters. Murphy, of course, was completely understanding of her request.
After completing Mrs. America, Paulson jumped into another season of American Crime Story. This time around, she will play Linda Tripp in Impeachment, a season that will detail the infamous Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. Thankfully, Paulson's American Horror Story absence will be short-lived. Upon missing 1984, she is slated to return for American Horror Story season 10 in a leading role. The new season has been delayed to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it's still something fans are greatly looking forward to. In addition, Paulson will serve as a director in the anthology's first spinoff, American Horror Stories, proving that she's not ready to say goodbye to the franchise just yet.