Sarah Paulson Faces Backlash for Wearing Fat Suit for Linda Tripp Role in Clinton ‘Impeachment’ Series

Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp in “Impeachment: American Crime Story.” (Kurt Iswarienko/
Kurt Iswarienko/FX Networks
Warner Todd Huston

Actress Sarah Paulson is facing a backlash for wearing a “fat suit” to portray Clinton-era civil servant Linda Tripp in the upcoming FX series, Impeachment: American Crime Story, which focuses on the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky sex scandal.

In the trailer and in promo shots for the series, Sarah Paulson appears completely submerged in layers of makeup, false teeth, wigs, and wardrobe to transform into the more robust Tripp. Paulson also said in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel to wearing “body transformational accoutrements” to better emulate Tripp’s girth.

But to some, those “body transformational accoutrements” are little else but a fat suit and some body activists are slamming Sarah Paulson for donning the devices. Further, Paulson admitted that there is controversy over fat suits in comments made to the L.A. Times last week, where she said, “There’s a lot of controversy around actors and fat suits, and I think that controversy is a legitimate one.”

Watch below: 

Paulson also noted that “fat phobia” is real: “But that entire responsibility I don’t think falls on the actor for choosing to do something that is arguably — and I’m talking about from the inside out — the challenge of a lifetime.”

The Ocean’s Eight actress also flippantly remarked to the Times, “Was I supposed to say no [to the part]? This is the question.” Paulson said she sees nothing wrong with the “magic of Hollywood,” saying, “the magic of hair and makeup departments and costumers and cinematographers that has been part of moviemaking, and suspension of belief, since the invention of cinema.”

Still, despite all these mitigating factors, Paulson also admitted to a certain amount of “regret” for donning the fat suit, and says she wished she had “thought about it more fully.”

The Ratched star noted that she didn’t want to seem to be making excuses: “It’s very hard for me to talk about this without feeling like I’m making excuses.”

Linda Tripp talks to reporters outside of the Federal Courthouse 29 July in Washington, DC, following her eighth day of testimony before the grand jury investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair. (WILLIAM PHILPOTT/AFP via Getty Images)

“That is an important thing for me to think about and reflect on,” Paulson continued. “I also know it’s a privileged place to be sitting and thinking about it and reflecting on it, having already gotten to do it, and having had an opportunity that someone else didn’t have.”

“You can only learn what you learn when you learn it. Should I have known? Abso-fucking-lutely. But I do now. And I wouldn’t make the same choice going forward,” she said.

Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp in “Impeachment: American Crime Story.” (FX Networks)

Paulson even evinced some hesitation about the fat suit back in 2019 when it was announced that she was taking on the role of Linda Tripp. Paulson, who has been in several of the American Crime Story series, said, “I’m going to take about three months off to eat some food, because I’m going to gain some weight to play her. I don’t want to wear a suit because I think it will feel very strange.”

Apparently, the idea of gaining weight for an acting gig became less appealing over time. And some critics have lashed out over her decision.

An op-ed published in April on Refiner29, for one, asked, “Dear Hollywood, Can You Please Just Hire Actual Fat People to Play Fat Characters?”

“Paulson is a fantastic actress… but why not just cast a fat actor to play the part of a fat character?” the op ed continued.

Others agreed that Paulson was the wrong choice to play the far heavier Linda Trip:

FX’s Impeachment: American Crime Story is scheduled to premiere on Sept. 7.

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