‘Grotesquerie’ Star Niecy Nash-Betts Wants Fans To Buckle Up For The Rest Of The Season: “Expect More Twists and a Few More Turns”

Niecy Nash-Betts has some words of wisdom for Grotesquerie fans who think the major twists and turns are in the rearview mirror.

The show — which will air its eighth episode this week after a head-spinning installment shocked audiences who have followed Lois Tryon (Nash-Betts) investigating a series of murders at the hands of the mysterious serial killer Grotesquerie — is the third major collaboration between the actress and Ryan Murphy; Nash-Betts previously worked with the Glee creator on Scream Queens and Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, the ladder of which won her an Emmy Award.

In cultivating a decade-plus-long relationship with Murphy, she tells Decider that she has learned a thing or two about the inner workings of the TV icon’s brain, including what to expect when she signs on to do a project with him.

“Well, here’s the thing, in the mind of Ryan Murphy, if you show up in the universe, expect the unexpected,” Nash-Betts told Decider. “Period.”

That pro tip is evidenced by the most recent episode, which was so mindboggling we had to sit down with the actress to dissect the script, her character’s new storyline, and — most importantly — what is ahead.

After Episode 7 revealed that the actress’ character, Lois, has been in a coma the entire time and recasting those around her in an elaborate whodunnit scenario, Nash-Betts says she thinks anyone who is sure on the direction of the series might want to reconsider.

Read on for Decider’s full interview with the actress and be sure to check out what Ryan Murphy had to say about the show’s plot twist in “Unplugged.”

DECIDER: We’ll start with Episode 7, that was a doozy of an episode. Can you talk a little bit about how you came to these scripts and if you knew the twist was coming?

NIECY NASH-BETTS: Okay, that was a lot but let me try to walk it down. Yes, I did know that there was going to be a major plot twist which resulted in you actually seeing a duality in all the characters you had met up to that point. And Ryan [Murphy] is a great collaborative partner so walking down what is happening and why it’s happening and who’s being influenced by it and all of those things were conversations that we stayed in and I’m grateful for. And forthcoming, I would just tell you that nothing is as it seems, so expect more twists and a few more turns.

I’m glad you said that because I do think that episode, Episode 7, really felt like a penultimate episode. But then seeing that you have three more to go — what did you think when you first read this specific script? Was it that you also felt like it was getting ready to be wrapped up or did you say, “Oh there’s going to be so many more [twists] coming that I don’t know even what to expect for my character?”

Well, here’s the thing, in the mind of Ryan Murphy, if you show up in the universe, expect the unexpected. Period. You know, especially in this genre – we start off in horror and then we kind of move into the family drama of it all and we end with the whodunnit. So in that space, just stay open.

I know a lot of people, myself included, thought that Fast Eddie – Travis Kelce’s character – could be the killer. You know, you had the medical background you had the obsession with you and your family, why do you think it had to be Father Charlie and Sister Megan?

You know, there are a lot of religious overtones through this entire script – entire series, I should say. And I’m trying to tell you without telling too much. It’s so hard because, you know, you don’t want to ruin it for the viewer, you want them to stay next to you along the way not get ahead of you. But, you know, Grotesquerie could be any one of us. Given where you are in your mind, in your spirit at the time, we’re still unpacking a lot of these B-stories. So I would just say nothing is as it seems and stay tuned. That’s what I can say.

In the most recent episode, there was a line about how we look to these grotesque incidents because it provides an outlet for us as a society. What do you think it is about the fascination with the grotesque that we tune in for? 

It’s just a kind of thing where, you know, it’s human nature. I mean, you don’t drive past an accident on the road and not crane your neck to see what happens, you know? Something comes up in your feed and it says a warning, you [think], “Why they warning me? Let me open it up and see what’s going on.” It’s just part of human nature

Now I want to talk about Lois’s one-liners because she’s had a lot of great little one-liners throughout the season. My personal favorite was when she said, “I unplugged my husband and had the best night of sleep in my entire life.” Do you have any that stick out for you from throughout the season?

I like when she said, ”Be careful of love ‘cause it can make a hard soul soft and a soft soul hard.” I like whatever she said about love in that one. I even like in Episode Seven when she said “Don’t gaslight a Black woman, we know too much.”

Ryan Murphy has really described this show as his raison d’etre and it’s something that is deeply personal to him – what does it mean to you to not only be a part of a project like this but really be the key player here and be at the center of this story?

Oh wow, it means a lot. It means that Ryan trusts me which is very important in a collaborative relationship. It means he respects me, also important in a collaborative relationship. And he is all about mayhem and foolishness, which is important for a collaborative relationship. So, especially when we’re doing things that are so dark — to be able to find the light in the day, bring it to the set, and still have fun between all of these takes, you know, that’s magic. 

And how did you guys find that light because you guys tackle a lot of really dark and difficult topics. There are some scenes where even I – the most horror-loving person on this planet – I was like, “Oh this is a lot.”

I showed up with the light, you know? I was a comedian first, a comedic actress first. So that part comes natural. [I would think] how can we keep the crew up, how can we crack jokes how can we find some fun things to do throughout the day. So yeah, I show up with it in my purse, I bring the fun with me. 

Speaking of your comedic background, it did feel like Episode 7 was kind of the episode where you got to show the full range of your acting chops, here. You had that great monologue in the doctor’s office – was it freeing or did you find that you were more burdened getting to have to bring more emotion into it?

I love the range of it all so it never feels like a burden, it feels like something new you’re unpacking as we’re on this journey. This is where I am today, oh I play that note tomorrow, I play that color the next day, so yeah, I enjoy it so much.

Last question: Where are we with a Grotesquerie Season 2? Would you want to come back?

Yes, I would love to continue. Yes, I have been hearing some things and so if we are lucky, we will get another go around and see what happens.

---

New episodes of Grotesquerie premiere Wednesdays on FX and the next day on Hulu.