Holland Taylor’s Speech About Sarah Paulson Is the Loveliest Thing You’ll Read This Week

I find it very chic that, in the wake of what may be her worst-ever-reviewed TV show, Sarah Paulson received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It’s like how, in March 2010, Sandra Bullock won the Razzie for Worst Actress for All About Steve, then, 24 hours later, won the Oscar for Best Actress for The Blind Side. The universe needs to keep a balance. And in Paulson’s case, the universe said she could only have two of the three: another hit TV show, a star on the Walk of Fame, or a loving, devoted partner to honor her with a deeply moving speech. I’d also choose the latter two.

On Tuesday, Paulson was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and her partner, Holland Taylor, spoke at the ceremony in what I can only describe as the loveliest thing you’ll read this week. “Sarah, the actress, is first of all a wild creature in the animal kingdom,” Taylor began. “Warm-blooded, instinctive, mysterious. And Sarah is dangerous—trust me in this—not dangerous like a snake, more like a mongoose. You know, those darling furry, little creatures that kill snakes.” I’m not sure that editing and writing anything can ever evoke the same level of enthusiasm in someone, but it’s now important to me to find a partner who would describe what I do as being akin to watching a wild mammal kill poisonous reptiles.

“Nothing interferes with her laser perception of her character’s traits, its habitat, vulnerabilities, its heroism, its ugliness, terrible truths, its comic pathos. She zeros in to a story’s central struggle, where most of us aren’t even aware of our own,” she continued. “Her acting is as honest as our faith and as complicated as chemistry. She’s not deceiving us, she is practicing magic.” Beautiful.

Taylor did not list any of Paulson’s projects, including All’s Fair, the Ryan Murphy Hulu show about a cadre of female divorce lawyers also starring Kim Kardashian that got panned to the high heavens when it premiered on November 4.

“Truth to tell, it is these relationships where Sarah is most complex, dedicated and giving. Sometimes it’s hard to believe she’s an actress. She breaks the mold, throws assumptions out the window, does it her way,” Taylor said. “She will always surprise us. Hollywood does well to honor her.”

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• Speaking of more Ryan Murphy shows…[JustJared]
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• Gwyneth Paltrow got fooled by Timothée Chalamet‘s Marty Supreme makeup. [Entertainment Weekly]
• Travis Kelce said he and Taylor Swift never argue. [Pop Crave]
• Quentin Tarantino really hates Paul Dano for some reason. [Vulture]
• Amy Schumer—who once called Palestinians “rapists”—might really be headed for divorce. [Page Six]

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