"Freak Show" may not be the last "American Horror Story" installment for Jessica Lange, despite her previous statements that she is leaving the hit FX anthology series after the currently airing season.
Series co-creator Ryan Murphy spoke with reporters Tuesday, Oct. 7, and revealed the possibility that the 65-year-old actress will come back for more seasons, Broadway World reported.
"I'm never accepting [that she will leave]," Murphy said of the series' leading lady, according to E! News.
"This is her favorite season without question," revealed the 48-year-old screenwriter and director, hinting that Lange appears to be softening her resolve."She said that to me, she has said that publicly, that she feels really reinvigorated in some regards. I really want her to keep her hand in."
"Does that mean 13 episodes or six or one? What does that mean? She and I will probably have a dinner date over the holidays," Murphy added. "We always start with the character and she decides from there."
"Before I was met with a really quick no and now I'm hearing, 'Let's keep talking,'" he explained. "So that's a promising sign....I think if I presented her with the right character, it could work. That's my hope. I'm sending bribes every day!"
During an interview with BuzzFeed in October last year - which took place while "Coven" was still airing - Lange revealed that she made the decision to only sign on for one more season, and that's for "Freak Show."
Last December, Murphy told Vulture that he would totally understand if Lange's decision to exit the series is already final.
"I get it," he said of the actress' choice to leave the show after Season 4. "I think being on a television show, even a cable show for 13 episodes, is a big grind. It's really hard work."
"But I'll always work with Jessica and I'll always do whatever she's interested in doing," Murphy said at the time. "There are no bad feelings at all. I totally respect her point of view. She has a beautiful farm, and she usually spends a lot of time on it."
"If she doesn't do season 5, I'll definitely spend a lot of my time trying to seduce her with stuff for seasons 6 and 7 because she's Jessica Lange and I love her," Murphy added.