Ariana Grande may have missed the opportunity to join American Horror Story this year, but Ryan Murphy isn’t ready to let the idea vanish.
In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Emmy-winning producer discussed that Grande was originally going to appear in the anthology series’ upcoming 13th season before her Eternal Sunshine Tour made the scheduling impossible. Instead of recasting for the role, Murphy simply said he would rather hold onto the idea until the Grammy-winning pop star might become available.
“I love Ariana Grande. We’re great friends,” Murphy said. “I had an idea and I came to her and she, very immediately, said ‘I’m not sure because I think I’m going on tour.’”
Murphy explained that Grande had just wrapped up her appearance in the blockbluster Wicked films when they first discussed the possibility of her joining AHS. As plans for her worldwide tour came together, the singer realized just how demanding her schedule would be if she agreed. Therefore, she decided that another production schedule wouldn’t be feasible.
“When it came time to do that episode, I called her up and she was like, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to juggle the tour with this,’” Murphy recalls. “And I said, ‘OK, if you can’t, we can push to another season.’ She said, ‘Great.’ You have to be respectful. Who is busier than Ariana Grande? No one.”
Even though Murphy did keep quiet about the character he had envisioned for Grande, he suggested fans shouldn’t rule out seeing her in his horror universe down the line.
“It was a very big swing, but I might bring that back for another season, per Ariana’s availability,” he said. “I think the world of her.”
Grande has worked with Murphy before, appearing in Fox’s horror comedy series Scream Queens back in 2015. The producer said she’s long been a fan of the genre, pointing to both her previous acting work and horror-inspired creative choices throughout her career (most recently, the gory music video for her new album’s title track “Petal”).
“Ariana is a big fan of horror,” Murphy said. “She’s obviously done homages of that in her work; she did Scream Queens for me and loved the experience, and people love her in that show. So I will always work with her. I love her, and I support her.”
As Murphy mentioned, Grande is relentless in all of her endeavors. This past Friday (July 31), she released her highly anticipated album Petal, with the lead single “Hate That I Made You Love Me” marking her 10th Billboard Hot 100 No. 1. She is also in the midst of her Eternal Sunshine Tour, which is set to conclude Sept. 1 in London, England. Her rep announced over this past weekend that after the tour wraps, Grande will take a step back from the public eye.
“She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny,” the rep said in a statement to People. “This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much.”
