Leave it to Ryan Murphy to try and answer the question: can one shot make you hot?
That’s the tagline of his new series FX series, a seductive international thriller that asks one of the most urgent questions of the modern age: what would you sacrifice for the flawless version of yourself?
Set in glam locations in Paris, Venice, Rome, and New York, the new drama follows FBI agents (played by Evan Peters and Rebecca Hall) on the trail of a mysterious virus that literally beautifies its victims—before destroying them. With a slick mix of noir intrigue and psychological horror, The Beauty crosses the line between self‑improvement and self‑destruction.
The show becomes a subversive meditation on vanity as a commodity. In a culture electrified by quick fixes—whether GLP‑1s, filters, or gene editing—Murphy’s latest looks right into the mirror of our times. “It’s not the future,” says Hall. “It’s now.” That timeliness is underlined by the show’s staggering debut trailer, which shattered FX’s viewing records with nearly 190 million views ahead of its January 21 premiere on FX, Hulu, and Disney+.
Captured on location from the gilded canals of Venice to the echoing streets near the Trevi Fountain, The Beauty exudes cinematic excess. But among the show’s metallic sheen and haunting landscapes, its heart lies with its characters—flawed, yearning, and seduced by the promise of transformation. With a cast including Anthony Ramos, Jeremy Pope, and Ashton Kutcher, the series wrestles with the price of perfection in a world that insists it’s only one shot away.
As the cast joked and philosophized at a recent press conference, the conversation mirrored the show’s central tension: beauty versus authenticity, power versus empathy. Here’s what the stars had to say in answer to questions about chasing perfection, imperfection, and everything in between.
How does The Beauty reflect today’s obsession with perfection?
Rebecca Hall, Agent Jordan Bennett
Ryan Murphy has this uncanny way of tapping into what’s current and turning it on its head. We live in a culture where beauty’s become a product, something you can buy—and that’s complicated. The idea of paying someone to define perfection for you? That’s dangerous and deeply human at the same time.
Ashton Kutcher, The Corporation: The show feels disturbingly close to reality. Why do you think that hits so hard? Because we’re already living it. Between weight‑loss injections, plastic surgery, and gene editing, people are rewriting themselves every day. The show just asks: what are you willing to risk for it? It’s not sci‑fi—it’s an exaggerated mirror of right now.
What did the show reveal to you about beauty in pop culture?
Anthony Ramos, The Assassin: Everywhere you look there’s pressure—your face, your body, the “fix” that’ll make you better. It’s wild that we don’t even blink at braces or Botox anymore. I think the show rips that open and asks why we feel the need to keep upgrading ourselves.
After playing so many darker roles, like Jeffrey Dahmer, what’s it like being the “good guy?”
Evan Peters, Agent Cooper Madsen: Honestly, refreshing! Cooper’s focused, serious, but also vulnerable. I loved playing someone who has to hold it together while everything around him literally explodes—sometimes people included.
Your character transforms both inside and out. What’s his journey about?
Jeremy Pope, Jeremy: Jeremy starts out as a lost outsider, but through all the chaos he finally gets seen. It’s about connection as much as transformation—what happens when somebody finally looks at you and says, “I see you,” even in your weirdness.
What’s the chemistry like between your two agents?
Hall: They’re partners, best friends, and absolutely lying to themselves about being “just colleagues.”
Peters: Right— you’re kind of rooting for one of them to just admit it. It’s that delicious tension of people too proud to fall in love.
The dynamic between your characters feels unexpectedly emotional.
Ramos: The Assassin sees himself in Jeremy—he’s alone, hollow, and suddenly this guy makes him feel again.
Pope: Exactly. It’s two misfits finding recognition in each other. Maybe that’s why it works; it’s not really about violence, it’s about being seen.
Is The Corporation a villain or a visionary?
Kutcher: Depends on who you ask. From his perspective, he’s saving humanity—containing a dangerous drug before it’s misused. Every villain thinks they’re the hero of their story.
Tell us about shooting the show in Italy.
Hall: Taking a water taxi to work in Venice at sunrise—honestly, nothing tops that.
Ramos: Shooting at the Trevi Fountain at 3 a.m., no tourists, just us. Surreal.
Kutcher: And watching the crew show up in water taxis? You realize you’re making something epic.
We have to ask about your stunt scenes.
Ramos: Evan and I beat each other up all day—and prayed it looked good. But our stunt team was next level. We wanted those fights to feel as emotional as they were physical.
