The saying “stick to what you know” is something many people in Hollywood internalize, because once an actor, writer, or director has made it big with a certain work, they feel as if that is what they are (and will be) the best at. Think about it; how many directors only take on action movies, how many actors only star in romantic comedies, and how many writers stick to creating funny and humorous scripts? It’s not uncommon for people to get comfortable within a certain genre or medium and just stay there. However,Ryan Murphy, the man who created the dark and thrilling FX anthology series,American Horror Story, is not someone who likes to stay inside a bubble. In fact, Murphy has stretched his creative range so far that fans may have forgotten just where the creative genius got his start.
Murphy found success in the TV industry back in 2003 when he created the drama seriesNip/Tuck, but he knew his ultimate calling was not reality TV. In 2009, Murphy’s name was attached to the wildly popular teen dramaGlee, and in that same year, Murphy started working alongside Julia Roberts on the film adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoirEat, Pray Love. While finding success with the lighter and more controllable material, Murphy still wanted to push the limits and channel his darker side. From TV series that have caused nightmares to horrifying characters based on real-life individuals,Murphy has certainly pushed the limitsand created some of the most incredible stories to date.
Find out exactly how the director of Julia Roberts' cheesiest romantic comedy became the creator of a couple of the darkest TV series.
Ryan Murphy’s Take on Eat, Pray, Love
Personal Connections Make for Passionate Adaptations
Back in 2006, when Elizabeth Gilbert’sEat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesiahit the shelves, it seemed like people could not get enough of the story. One woman’s soul-searching adventure through three incredible countriesafter a messy divorceseemed like the most eye-opening narrative to a lot of people living their regular lives. Readers were snagging the books before they were properly displayed, and among those in the bookstores across the country was Ryan Murphy himself.
In aninterview with Bonnie Laufer, Murphy said that it was by some magical coincidence that he ended up in a bookstore, just one day after a horribly messy breakup of his own, where employees were unpacking Gilbert’s memoir. In his emotional state, he bought a copy, fell in love with the idea of reinventing oneself, and started passing out copies to pretty much everyone he knew. Within a couple of years,Murphy got a call from Julia Roberts' agent, asking him about his love for the story and how he would feel about directing a film adaptation with Roberts as the lead. Baffled but excited, Murphy jumped at the opportunity.
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When it came time to film, Murphy’s entire heart practically exploded on the set as he understood the ins and outs of Elizabeth Gilbert’s journey. He knew he wanted to convey the sense of a troubled woman reinventing herself in a positive light so that audiences would be inspired to do the same. From traveling to different countries, meeting incredible people, eating amazing food, and learning about different cultures, Murphy, Roberts, and the rest of the cast and crew absolutely fell in love with the creation of their own romantic comedy. It sounds cheesy, and plenty of critics labeled the film as Roberts' most predictable rom-com, but there is still something spectacular that happened for everyone who got to travel and experience a fraction of what Gilbert did years before.
Eat, Pray, Love
Shifting to a Darker Genre May Have Saved Ryan Murphy
Before Ryan Murphy was taking meetings with Julia Roberts orcreating characters and storylines forGlee, he was working on a terrifying TV series like no other. Murphy and Brad Falchuk, who is also a co-creator ofGlee, spent many hours crafting intricate characters and nightmarish stories, and in 2011, the pair got the green light for a pilot episode ofAmerican Horror Story.
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Murphy and Falchuk knew right off the bat that if they were allowed to continue the series, they wanted two things to happen: they wanted to leave their viewers uncomfortable after each episode, and each season would deal with a different plot structure. Now, with 12 seasons and two spinoff series, it is safe to say that Murphy and Falchuk were not only allowed to continue with their horror anthology series but they were granted the creative freedomto make it a huge success. WhereasEat, Pray, Lovewas near-universally panned (it holds a mere 35% on Rotten Tomatoes),Murphy’s leaning into the horror genre fares much better among critics and audiences alike.
Murphy has prided himself on creating characters that haunt your dreams, and while he was intertwining real crime scenarios and characters based on murderers intoAmerican Horror Story, he was also working onDahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. While Murphy was with the cast of the Netflix series,he openly saidthat he had imagined Evan Peters, whom he had worked with since the very first season ofAHS, as the lead role, but he needed to get the actor to commit to fully put the project into motion. Peters knew it would be a challenge, but it would also define his acting abilities and completely put him in the spotlight. Dahmer was released on June 05, 2025, and to no surprise, it hit the number-one spot within a week. Now, there isa second seasonin the making, and fans are thrilled.
As of right now, Murphy has several projects in the making. He is still attached toAHS, its two spinoff series entitledAmerican Crime StoryandAmerican Horror Stories,Feud,9-1-1,9-1-1: Lone Star,Dahmer, andThe Watcher, but fans can also look forward to his newer seriesGROTESQUERIE, American Sports Story(the fourth installment of theAHSfranchise), andDr. Odessey.
