Within the anthology series ‘American Horror Story’, Kim Kardashian is portrayed as exhibiting superficial characteristics.
Kim Kardashian is a former video starlet turned beauty and shapewear businesswoman, jail reform crusader, and media darling. This past Wednesday night, she joined the Ryan Murphy canon when she was cast as a season regular on FX’s “American Horror Story: Delicate.” (You can also watch it online on Hulu.) Emma Roberts’ character, Anna Victoria Alcott, hires her while she goes through her third round of in vitro fertilization to play the role of Siobhan, a high-gloss publicist.
Siobhan’s first appearance is in a big Manhattan office, where the downtown skyscrapers are silhouetted against a backdrop that makes them seem like Lego towers. Immaculately groomed and totally self-possessed, Siobhan bestrides the realm of public relations like an exquisitely molded behemoth. Her clothing looks like a bustier was sewn into a blazer. Her hoop earrings are modified golden arches from McDonald’s. Her high ponytail reaches towards the stars.
Her first sentence is an outright obscenity and a clear threat to the directorial team of the Daniels (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”). She then says, “It’s exhausting being better than everyone,” but not really seeming tired.
Anna gets veiled threats throughout the show, including a doll in her image with a black X on its stomach, which is left for her in the green room of “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.” Siobhan’s face stays smooth and untroubled the whole time.
Siobhan hardly looks up from her phone when she exclaims, “Oh my God, Andy’s so funny.” You could put her nonchalance in a bottle and sell it for more than Crème de la Mer.
Kardashian’s debut on a premium channel did not exactly go well. Production for “American Horror Story: Delicate” resumed even after the WGA approved a strike. Despite loud demonstrations outside Silvercup Studios in Queens, where “Delicate” was shot, most other programs had shut down in solidarity to avoid crossing picket lines.
Midway through the month of June, Kardashian tweeted, seemingly oblivious to the conflict: “Hi people! This is me, killing time on the set of American Horror Story. What the heck are you guys doing?
Joel Kim Booster, an actor and playwright, had the most arid response: “Picketing, Kim.”
Whether or not “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” an E! reality program that starred Kardashian and her family from 2007 to 2021, is based on fact will certainly determine whether or not you consider her an actor. Hulu also debuted a series on the same family, called “The Kardashians,” last year. (The next episode of the new season airs in one week.)
She has largely portrayed herself in her prior screen roles. (The voice-overs for “PAW Patrol: The Movie” and “American Dad!” are two notable exceptions, with tones ranging from sensual baby to exquisite gravel throughout the years.) But Murphy has a history of stunt-casting divas in the lead. Naomi Campbell, Stevie Nicks, Lady Gaga, and Patti LaBelle are just a few of the A-listers who have appeared in previous seasons of “American Horror Story.” Kardashian looks great in her bodycon dresses.
A publicist would be a perfect fit for Kardashian since she is so focused on appearances. Using just her physical appearance, Kardashian has amassed a number of lucrative riches. Former spouse Kanye West expressed it best in 2014 when he told GQ, “In order to win at life, you need some Kim K skills, period.” But there are restrictions on that appearance. Her full lips move in and out as Siobhan in the scenes she appears in. She has a little lash movement now and then. Those stunning characteristics wouldn’t be animated otherwise. Kardashian evokes the flawless, unearthly stillness of an alpine lake or brand-new veneers.
Kardashian wears a white-blonde wig, crimson lips, a zombie complexion, and the kind of artificial eyelashes that Liza Minnelli impersonators like in a preview for the show that was released on Wednesday. She tells the camera, “Anytime you try something, you just have to have the intention of growing and challenging yourself.” “Then you just let go and enjoy yourself,” she said.
Unless one counts the 2019 house tour she gave to Vogue, this is her first role in a horror film. (Recall that drain?) It is unclear how her role fits into the plot, which seems to revolve around Anna’s fertility and a beldam (Julie White) dressed in all black. In a strange position for a woman who has battled to be taken seriously and had traumatic experiences ridiculed, Siobhan appears to be meant to ignore Anna’s concerns and anxieties thus far.
It’s clear that she’s not having a good time. It’s as though she approaches the show with the same dogged determination she does her other business endeavors (selected shoes, shapewear, an emoji app). Could it be that they are acting? Does it exist? What difference does it make if your job is typing at a phone and muttering in a raspy drawl something about Time magazine’s 100 most influential people? Kim K. is similarly adept at conflating their public and private selves. Are you frightened by that?
