Ryan Murphy had said these words in a 2017 interview with Deadline, reflecting on the creative choices that shaped his career.
The quote is still true for Murphy as the creator returns to the world of infamous crimes and public fascination with Netflix’s Monsters: The Lizzie Borden Story, another addition to his collection of controversial real-life stories. When Murphy developed American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, many expected a simple retelling of one of America’s most famous criminal trials. He narrated that his breakthrough came after his executives at Fox encouraged him to create stories that reflected his own interests. That gave birth to Glee, a series that combined music, teenage drama and social issues in a way few expected to succeed.
But Murphy pulled a “sike” on his audience by exploring deeper themes of race and celebrity culture as the media’s influence weighed on public perception. He said, “I think when you take the big swings — and I’ve done plenty of big swings that I was told were never going to work — those are always the things that break through. He said, “I keep trying to change the industry into the world I want it to look like.”
