Sarah Paulson takes on the role of notorious killer Aileen Wuornos in Netflix’s Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, bringing another infamous figure into Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s anthology series. While the season centers on Lizzie Borden, played by Ella Beatty, Wuornos becomes an important part of the story as the series explores the legacy of female violence, rage, and the circumstances that can lead women to commit violent acts.
Wuornos, a sex worker in Florida, killed seven men between 1989 and 1990 and was eventually convicted of six of the murders. Her case drew widespread public attention and sparked debate about her background, treatment by the justice system, and the factors surrounding her crimes. She was executed by the state of Florida in 2002, but her story has continued to influence film, television, and documentary projects.
Paulson’s portrayal marks another collaboration with Murphy, following their work together on Ratched, American Horror Story, and American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson. In The Lizzie Borden Story, her character appears in scenes set decades after Borden’s story, with the series connecting Wuornos to Borden’s enduring legacy.
The season also marks the first Monster installment to center on a female killer, following previous stories about Jeffrey Dahmer, the Menendez brothers, and Ed Gein. Through Borden and Wuornos, the series examines the question of what drives women toward violence and how their stories are remembered and interpreted over time.
For Ella Beatty, working alongside Paulson added another personal dimension to the project. The two previously worked together in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Appropriate, and their existing relationship became part of Beatty’s creative experience while portraying Borden.
Paulson’s role as Wuornos adds a new dimension to Monster, placing two notorious female figures from different eras within a story about violence, identity, and legacy.
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story premieres on Netflix on September 17.
