Director on why difficult scene in The Lizzie Borden Story made Netflix crew cry

The director of Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story has revealed that there was one particular scene that was difficult to film, and left some of the crew feeling overwhelmed with emotion. 

The show was created to examine the stories of different killers, and to look at the question of whether someone is born a monster, or if this is created within someone over time. The creators have said it’s tough to pick stories they think people will engage with for 10 episodes, based on how unpleasant the subjects are.

But it’s not just the viewers. It would be quite understandable to find out that filming the Lizzie Borden season of the show was an intense experience. Coming into work for the crew of Monster meant telling the story of two gruesome murders, albeit with a lot of embellishment. It’s a lot. 

via Netflix

One of the Aileen Wuornos scenes made The Lizzie Borden Story crew emotional 

There has been a lot of backlash to the inclusion of killer Aileen Wuornos in The Lizzie Borden Story. People have argued it felt lazy, and that her case deserved an entire season of its own. However, one thing is for sure: Sarah Paulson nailed her depiction. 

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Now, the director has said in an interview that Sarah Paulson’s incredible talent on set moved some to tears. This was a whole new reason for the show to be difficult to film – being purely overwhelmed by the actor and her abilities.

“My favourite scene that she did — because it really allowed her to improvise a lot — was the scene with her having her final meal. Just the mixture between protective strength and unbelievable vulnerability. I cried when she was doing it, because to have a front row seat to that and watch it happen was really humbling.”

via Netflix

He added: “There’s the romance of Sarah [Paulson] and the peace in the afterlife that they’re going to a better place, then … that antiseptic blue curtain in juxtaposition of that ornate, beautiful, red velvet curtain at that big theatre at the beginning. I felt like if I could start where we start and end where we end and have an emotional involvement for those characters while doing it, that this had a really good chance to emotionally resonate with people.”

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news and drops, like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.