- Primary Subject: Sarah Paulson’s Role in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story
- Key Update: Sarah Paulson plays real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos in a flash-forward plotline connecting female violence across eras.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: August 21, 2026
- Quick Answer: Sarah Paulson plays convicted serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster Season 4, bridging the legacy of female rage across different generations.
Netflix has released the official trailer for Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, teasing Ella Beatty, Charlie Hunnam, and Rebecca Hall in the bloody tale of the infamous axe murders. However, Sarah Paulson also makes a surprising appearance just before the intense trailer ends.
While she isn’t directly part of The Lizzie Borden Story, what role does she play in Monster Season 4?
What Is Sarah Paulson’s Role in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story?
After the first three seasons of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s true-crime anthology series were led by male killers – Jeffrey Dahmer (Evan Peters), Lyle and Erik Menendez (Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch), and Ed Gein (Charlie Hunnam) – a female killer now takes center stage in Monster Season 4.
Aside from Ella Beatty playing the titular character, Lizzie Borden, Sarah Paulson also joins the series as Aileen Wuornos.
Paulson looks unrecognizable in the role, undergoing a dramatic transformation complete with straggly dirty-blond hair, bleached eyebrows, pale, weathered skin, and rotted teeth.
“No one really knows what happened that day,” a voice says at the end of the trailer before Paulson suddenly appears.
“Oh, I f*ckin’ know what happened,” she responds.
Often described as one of the first female serial killers to receive widespread national attention, Wuornos was a sex worker who killed seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990.
She was eventually convicted of six of the murders, while her case drew significant national attention and sparked debates over her treatment by the media and justice system. Wuornos was executed in Florida in 2002.
Why Is Aileen Wuornos in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story?
While Aileen Wuornos is not directly involved in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, she plays a major role in scenes set decades after Lizzie Borden’s murders.
True to Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s approach to Monster, Season 4 will explore Borden’s influence on other female killers and how her legacy has endured through the decades.
As revealed by the showrunners, Wuornos’ story is connected to Borden’s legacy, allowing the season to examine broader themes surrounding female violence.
“The show is exploring a legacy of female rage and reaction to the set of circumstances that they are presented with,” Ella Beatty told Tudum. “I think there’s a connection [between Borden and Wuornos] that Ryan and Ian were interested in mapping and exploring.”
As such, Wuornos plays an important role in shaping The Lizzie Borden Story's central themes.
“Every season of Monster has been an exercise in understanding the person’s psychology,” Beatty continued. “Are they born or are they made? I knew from the beginning that Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan were really interested in exploring what brings a woman to the point of violence.”
The actress also explained that Wuornos’ inclusion in the series helps explore the possible reasons why women commit violent acts.
“I think the story of Aileen Wuornos also served that question and that exploration of why women kill,” Beatty added.
With that in mind, Wuornos’ addition to Monster Season 4 will show how society perceives female killers across different eras and how one notorious case can influence the perception of those who follow.
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story premieres September 17 on Netflix.
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