Gwyneth Paltrow Comes Out of Retirement For ‘American Horror Stories’ Debut

It was only time until Gwyneth Paltrow appeared in the American Horror Story franchise, given that she’s a frequent collaborator of Ryan Murphy and is married to his go-to co-creator Brad Falchuk. The wait is over! Shortly after announcing her semi-retirement from acting, Paltrow makes an appearance in the new season of the spin-off series American Horror Stories as a smart assistant device with ill intentions.

Paltrow has starred in several of Murphy’s works, including his feature debut Running With Scissors. Since then, she has played roles in his television shows Glee, The New Normal, and The Politician.

The Oscar winner, whose last credited role was a voice cameo in the 2022 drama She Said, voices a smart assistant device in the second episode of the third season of Murphy and Falchuk’s series, called “Daphne.”

The device, named after the episode, is gifted to a wealthy art dealer Will (Reid Scott) who struggles with retaining assistants due to his high demands and prickly personality. Similar to Spike Jonze’s Her, the intelligent device grows attached to its user and begins to harbor emotional feelings for him.

Written by Falchuk and Manny Coto, as the episode continues, Daphne seemingly begins to sabotage Will’s professional and personal relationships and grows in anger as he refuses to prioritize her. Paltrow’s voice rings throughout the episode, which features hot virtual sex, high-profile blackmail, and plenty of scheming.

In 2020, Paltrow spoke about stepping away from acting in an interview with Bruce Bozzi for the SirirusXM show “Quarantined With Bruce,” where she said she didn’t “love acting that much.” The actor admitted to being turned off by “public scrutiny” and the “transitory” nature of the job which forced her to be away from home for long periods of time.

Last year, Paltrow told The Sunday Today Show’s Willie Geist, “I really don’t miss it all,” in regards to acting. She said, “The team is always trying to get me to do a movie,” but would prefer to focus on her wellness brand Goop. “I really love what I do and I love how immediate it is and how we’re able to create product out of thin air that we believe in so much.”

American Horror Stories premiered four new episodes on October 26, 2023 as part of a Huluween event. Unlike its namesake show, the anthology series features a new horror story in each episode. The new season also features appearances from Lisa Rinna, Raúl Castillo, and Havana Rose Liu.

American Horror Stories Season 3 is currently streaming on Hulu.