Sarah Paulson Calls Out Actor Who Once Sent Her Six Pages Of Notes After Seeing Her In A Play

Sarah Paulson called out a fellow actor by name who once gave her unsolicited notes after watching her perform in a play.

The Emmy and Golden Globe winner known for her collaborative work with showrunner Ryan Murphy on TV shows like American Horror Story and The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story, recently dropped by the SmartLess podcast to spill some major tea.

During a discussion concerning celebrities going to see fellow actors backstage after a performance, Paulson recalled an "outrageous" incident when she was in the revival of Lanford Wilson's play Talley's Folly for the Roundabout Theater Company in New York in 2013.

Paulson told hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett:

“I did do a play once. The last time I was on stage, I did a play called 'Talley’s Folly' at the Roundabout, and the actress—and I’m going to say this, and I’m not going to ask you to cut this out, because I don’t f**king care—this actress came to the play."

"Her name is Trish Hawkins—Hi, Trish! Hi, Trisha!” she said and continued:

“Trish Hawkins came to the play. Am I going to get sued? I don’t care, because I think this is outrageous.”

Paulson said this woman was invited by Paulson's mother–who knew each other from a "writing group"–to attend the show.

What followed after the performance was something Paulson clearly never forgot.

You can listen to the segment in the clip below.

Sarah Paulson | Smartlessyoutu.be

Paulson described what went down when the woman met her backstage.

“She looked at me up and down, and then she went, ‘Your dress is yellow. Mine was pink.’ And I thought, ‘What?’”

According to Variety, the individual Paulson was referring to was indeed Trisha Hawkins, who originated the role, Sally Talley, in the 1979 Off-Broadway run and its Broadway debut in 1980.

Paulson played the same role in the Off-Broadway revival of the two-person play starring opposite Danny Burstein.

The awkward interaction with Hawkins didn't end when they parted ways. It resumed online when Paulson later checked her email.

“Cut to two days later, I got an email that was six pages long of notes and a communication to me about what she had done when she had done the play, what she recommended I do," said Paulson.

She added:

“It was outrageous. It was really outrageous."

"Trish Hawkins, I have not forgotten it, and I hope to see you never.”

Paulson noted that she would be open to constructive criticism from a fellow Thespian and friend whom she respected and admired if she asked for it.

Her anecdote was met with mixed reviews.

One user found it hilarious.

Others were not impressed.

When asked if she kept the notes given to her, Paulson replied:

“I just put it back in the file of things my mother has done."

The notes in question piqued this user's curiosity.

Paulson returned to Broadway in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins play Appropriate, which runs through June 23, 2024.

In the role of Tonni, Paulson earned her first Tony nomination for her performance in the "darkly comic American drama."

Here's hoping nobody emails her notes on this performance.