NEW YORK, Oct. 25 (UPI) — Love, Simon, The Beauty and Monster alum Joe Pollari says he was as surprised as anyone to discover his American Horror Story: 13 hospice worker character Ben would turn out to be the son of Satan.
“I’m learning in real time with my character, which is great fodder for acting. You’re working with what you know and really what the character knows. And I would try and go back to Video Village and talk to the writers — Ned Martel, Charlie Carver — and try and get something out of them,” Pollari, 32, told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.
“There was just a lot of symbolic and cryptic language about what was going to happen. So, I didn’t really have a clue and I was confused why at the time. But, now, in retrospect, I think it makes perfect sense,” he said. “I think fans are going to be excited to see another side of Ben. … They certainly gave me that opportunity to do somewhat of a 180.”
As the season winds down on FX, Ben visits a coven of New Orleans witches — played by Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Emma Roberts and Billie Lourd — and reveals his true identity, unexpectedly explaining that he wants to use the new powers he inherited to help them save the world from his father.
“There’s nothing like being stared down by four powerful women and actors holding up their hands and saying, ‘You will not enter!'” he quipped.
Sarah Paulson attends the 2026 Disney Upfront at the Jacob Javits Center on May 12 in New York City. File Photo by Peter Foley/UPI
“But, I got to do some stunt work in these initial scenes. They throw me up on the wall. We have a great stunt crew and when I get praise from the stunt crew, I know I’ve done really well. That praise counts a lot.”
Pollari recalled feeling “elated” when he saw where his character was heading in the last few chapters of 13, particularly how Ben and Roberts’ witch Madison would be falling in love in a rom-com-style Episode 11.
Jessica Lange arrives on the red carpet at the 96th annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles in 2024. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
“To be able to have scenes with Emma Roberts is a real treat because I think her portrayal of Madison Montgomery is as iconic as it gets,” he said.
“It was more than fun. It was easy, generative, creative,” the actor added. “We really got each other. There’s a mutual respect there. There’s mutual adoration and we’ve become good friends and I really count her as a wonderful collaborator.”
Even before the episode aired, he and Roberts suspected their story-line would be well accepted.
“People on set came up to Emma and I and said, ‘God, we are rooting for you.’ People who never said anything about what was going on and business as usual and here they were going: ‘God, I really hope it works out. I love you guys together,'” Pollari said. “I think we feel it’s good and everyone else feels it’s good, too, so that’s nice.”
Madison isn’t Ben’s only love interest in the show, however.
Madeleine Pesch played his girlfriend Kira and Elle Chapman plays Ashley, Kira’s friend who trauma bonds with Ben after they survive a plane crash that kills Kira.
Suspicious of her motivations, Ben kills Ashley before hooking up with Madison.
“There was chemistry with each one of these people. I thought it was good casting from our casting director,” Pollari said.
“The pairings were all, ‘Wow,’ not a lot of effort needed. We’re not going to have to figure anything out or fake anything with each of these actors.”
Although Ben’s intentions appear to be sincere and he presents a plausible plan when he talks to the witches, Pollari won’t divulge if Ben is trustworthy and remains an ally of the coven through Thursday’s season finale.
“A big theme of this is about the ways that people are pulled towards darkness for their own benefit and that is certainly the dilemma that is laid out for Ben when he finds out that he’s the anti-Christ,” Pollari said.
“Whether that is a destiny and the only destiny he has, or whether there is something called free will to change that, we’ll see where his rebellion takes him.”
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