Paul Anthony Kelly has committed the oldest Ryan Murphy ritual in the book: bleach first, ask questions later. The actor was spotted filming American Horror Story in New York City sporting an icy blonde makeover, and suddenly his signature brunette era feels like a thing of the past.
RELATED: Taylor Zakhar Perez Joins Netflix’s ‘13 Going on 30’ Reboot
Paul Anthony Kelly Debuts a Dramatic Blonde Makeover
Paul Anthony Kelly is a brunette. That’s simply part of the brand. Whether he was channeling JFK Jr. in Love Story or turning heads on the Met Gala carpet, his rich brown hair has become as recognizable as his movie-star jawline.
Well… consider the brand temporarily refreshed.
After breaking out as JFK Jr. in Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, Kelly has been on a whirlwind tour of Hollywood’s biggest stages, bouncing from awards season to fashion week while quickly becoming one of the industry’s most in-demand rising stars. His latest stop? A return to Ryan Murphy’s delightfully twisted universe.
RELATED: Anthony Ippolito Makes ‘I Play Rocky’ a Biceps-Fueled Must-Watch
Kelly is set to reunite with Murphy for season 13 of American Horror Story, joining franchise icons Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Emma Roberts, Angela Bassett, and Jessica Lange. Naturally, Murphy is keeping every detail about Kelly’s character locked tighter than the plot of AHS itself, but one thing is already crystal clear: somebody reached for the bleach.
Fresh set photos show Kelly with bright blonde highlights styled into a polished, side-swept wave that feels somewhere between Hitchcock leading man, trust-fund heartthrob, and “this man definitely knows more than he’s saying.”
His wardrobe isn’t exactly helping clear up the mystery.
Filming alongside Sarah Paulson in Washington Square Park, Kelly wore a black leather trench coat embossed with snakes across the lapels, layered over a crisp white dress shirt with tailored black trousers, crocodile-textured Chelsea boots, a burgundy tie, and Wayfarer sunglasses. It’s the kind of outfit that says, “I’m either the season’s biggest villain or the hottest red herring you’ve ever seen.”
Frankly, both feel equally plausible.
If Murphy’s track record has taught us anything, it’s that a dramatic hair transformation is rarely just a dramatic hair transformation. Somewhere beneath those freshly bleached strands is almost certainly a deeply troubled man with impeccable tailoring and several secrets that will unravel over the course of ten episodes.
The new season, currently operating under the working title “Penthouse,” premieres on September 24. Until then, we’ll be doing what everyone else is doing: staring at these set photos, overanalyzing every detail, and wondering whether Kelly’s blonde era is temporary—or the beginning of something even more fabulous.