‘A Christmas Story’ Star Dishes Deadly ‘American Horror Story’ Role: ‘Like Most of My Roles in My Career, I Die’ [Exclusive]
American Horror Story viewers encountered a familiar Christmas “bully” in the season 7 episode, “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.”
Known for his role as Scut Farkus in the enduring classic, A Christmas Story, Zack Ward said the bully role when he was 13 years old set him up for a career as a villain or bad guy – and also the target who suffers a tragic end. In American Horror Story, Ward played “Roger,” a local butcher who ends up hanging on a hook in his own meat locker after bickering with an employee.
Ward joked with Showbiz Cheat Sheet that death became a natural progression for many of his characters.
Zack Ward said being in ‘American Horror Story’ was ‘cool’
Ward’s character Roger, was woven into the “Cult” season of American Horror Story. Like many American Horror Story characters, Roger was deeply flawed and openly displayed racist prejudice toward his kitchen worker Pedro Morales. Of course, Roger’s gruesome death has a twist because he’s not “quite” dead when Ally Mayfair-Richards (Sarah Paulson) finds him swinging in the meat locker.
“Oh, that was so cool. American Horror Story, those actors are fantastic,” Ward recalled. “The sets are amazing and the writers are great. And it is just a gorgeous machine of stylized horror. It’s just awesome to be on board. Sarah Paulson, all the awards she’s received is because she deserves them. She’s such a talented, kind woman.”
Roger’s death was a “new death,” Zack Ward jokes
Ward joked about how his character died. Even though Roger was impaled on the meat hook he wasn’t dead. But when Ally accidentally finds him, she unintentionally kills Roger while trying to remove him from the massive hook.
“Yeah, it was a lot of fun to do,” Ward said. “I only got to do, I think two episodes … two or three. It wasn’t a big role. And like most of my roles in my career, I die. My wife will ask me when I’m doing a film, she’s like, ‘So how do you die?’ I’ll reply, ‘You’ll be surprised. It’s a new death for me, honey!’ And yes, American Horror Story was a lot of fun.”
‘A Christmas Story’ set Zack Ward up for bad guy-type roles
Roger is definitely more of a villain in American Horror Story, which Ward said he’s gotten used to playing.
“I think it’s actually Scut Farkus’s fault,” he joked. “Because being the iconic red-haired bully, everybody kind of identifies that as an archetype. And the reality is, I have very slanty eyes, and in my youth, I had very high cheekbones.”
“And so I looked like I was up to no good or like an evil elf,” he said. “Also playing bad guys is a lot of fun. So I think that’s why I got those roles all the time. But I really enjoyed them. So I was always grateful for the job.”
Why so many villain roles? “I think I have a very punchable face,” he joked.
