Ryan Murphy’s new series, Hollywood, debuted on Netflix this week, and there are plenty of familiar faces in his portrayal of Tinseltown in the ’40s, according to The Hollywood Reporter . Hollywood tells the story of the Golden Age of Hollywood. It follows a collection of aspiring actors, screenwriters, and directors all trying to find the fame that the city promises, per Rolling Stone . And since it’s a Murphy show, this ragtag group of dreamers finds a lot of tears and drama in their pursuit.
Murphy is one of Hollywood’s most prolific showrunners, responsible for wildly popular shows like Glee , American Horror Story , Pose , The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, and The Politician . Murphy is also known for casting his favorite actors in each of his new projects, and Hollywood is no exception.
Here are some of the faces in Hollywood that Murphy fans are sure to recognize.
Darren Criss
Darren Criss has been a favorite of Murphy’s for years. Glee was Criss’ first project with Murphy. They didn’t work together again until several years after Glee ended when the actor was cast as the star of American Crime Story’s second season.
According to The Hollywood Reporter , Criss and Murphy came up with the concept for Hollywood together while celebrating the success of American Crime Story . Criss plays a director fighting his way to fame.
Dylan McDermott
Dylan McDermott was at the center of the first season of one of Murphy’s most successful franchises: American Horror Story . He reappeared in that franchise during the last season, and he also worked with Murphy on his Netflix exclusive series, The Politician.
For Hollywood , Murphy wanted to see McDermott in a role that no one would expect. Per The Hollywood Reporter Murphy “wanted to reinvent him,” so McDermott will be playing the aging owner of a service station, which serves as the center of some truly salacious activity for the show’s central characters.
Patti LuPone
Patti LuPone worked with Murphy on both American Horror Story and Pose in smaller roles. For Hollywood , Murphy wanted LuPone to be more central to the project. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Murphy wrote a role specifically for LuPone: the wife of a Hollywood studio owner who inherits the studio when her husband dies.
LuPone said she jumped at the opportunity.
“I would not say no to Ryan. And to be able to go to work at Sunset Gower Studios and look to my left and see the Hollywood sign? I was just in heaven,” she said.
Hollywood also features Murphy franchise veterans Jim Parsons and Joe Mantello from Boys in the Band, David Corenswet from The Politician , and Jeremy Pope from Pose .
