Inside FX’s The Beauty: A Body Horror Thriller About the Price of Perfection

FX’s body horror thriller The Beauty may be wrapped in the trappings of a globe-trotting crime story, but beneath the surface, it’s asking a much more intimate and unsettling question: What would you sacrifice to become perfect? Premiering with three episodes on January 21st on FX and Hulu (and streaming internationally on Disney+), the series follows FBI agents Cooper Madsen and Jordan Bennett as they investigate a wave of gruesome deaths tied to a mysterious virus that transforms people into visions of physical perfection, with deadly consequences. The trail leads to a shadowy tech billionaire known only as The Corporation and the miracle drug he has engineered, called The Beauty.

During a recent press conference, the cast unpacked how the series reflects contemporary anxieties around beauty, control, and self-worth—and why its sci-fi premise feels uncomfortably close to reality. For Rebecca Hall, who stars as Agent Jordan Bennett, The Beauty feels ripped directly from the cultural conversation. She noted that creator Ryan Murphy has “a nose for the zeitgeist,” using genre storytelling to interrogate ideas society is already grappling with. At the heart of the series, she said, is the commodification of beauty itself.

Human beauty, Hall explained, isn’t objective like nature; it’s subjective. “So the idea that you can pay for perfection and therefore you're handing over your idea of it to someone who is taking your money and might want more of it is complicated,” she said, adding pointedly, “I think keeping people in a place of inadequacy is more profitable.”

Ashton Kutcher, who plays The Corporation, expanded on how close the show’s premise already is to modern life. He pointed to the prevalence of weight-loss drugs, cosmetic surgery, and even gene editing as proof that society is already navigating the same ethical territory. “You amalgamate all of that into one thing,” Kutcher said, “and it’s a shot, and it’s called The Beauty. And the question is: what are you willing to sacrifice for that?”

Anthony Ramos grounded the conversation in everyday pressure, recounting how casually beauty enhancement has become normalized—from facials to injectables to the quiet expectations people place on themselves. “Society kind of tells us what we should look like on the outside,” he said, “and instinctually, we put that pressure on ourselves.”

For Jeremy Pope, the show’s power lies in how it shifts the conversation beyond vanity. “I love a piece of art that asks the audience themselves the question,” Pope said. “‘What would you do if there was a drug that would make you feel like the best version of yourself?’”

While the series initially presents beauty as a physical ideal, Pope noted that it quickly deepens into something more emotional and moral. He described scenarios involving illness, parents, and desperation—moments where the temptation of The Beauty becomes far more complicated than simple appearance. “It’s an active conversation about where you sit on the side of beauty,” Pope explained, “your perspective of yourself, the inner work, the outer work.”

At the center of the investigation are Cooper and Jordan, whose professional partnership is complicated by unresolved personal feelings. Hall described their relationship bluntly, and humorously. “They work together, and they are best friends with benefits,” she said, “and they both think there’s nothing more to it, although it’s a complete lie.”

Evan Peters, who stars as Cooper Madsen, agreed, adding that the audience is meant to root for them to finally confront their emotions. “You’re kind of rooting for one of them to speak up,” he said, “to say, ‘I don’t want you to see other people. I just want to see you.’” Both actors described their characters as emotionally guarded, balancing each other through contrasting personalities—Cooper’s seriousness offset by Jordan’s humor and levity.

One of the show’s most unexpected dynamics unfolds between Ramos’ lethal enforcer, The Assassin, and Pope’s character, Jeremy. Ramos explained that The Assassin recognizes himself in Jeremy, forming an emotional bond that begins with empathy rather than manipulation. “He sees a kindred spirit in this guy he was intended to kill,” Ramos said. “Jeremy fills a void in The Assassin’s soul.”

Pope echoed that sentiment from the other side, describing Jeremy as someone starved for connection. “He meets someone who sees him and appreciates the weirdness that he’s bringing,” Pope said. Their relationship, he noted, becomes a twisted partnership built on mutual recognition rather than morality.

Kutcher approached The Corporation with a clear rule: never judge the character. “You have to play them from the perspective that they believe they’re doing something right,” he explained. From The Corporation’s point of view, the drug represents salvation, and any violence committed along the way becomes a necessary evil. Kutcher drew a chilling real-world parallel, noting how often people in power rationalize harm as containment or protection. “Every so-called villain can rationalize their behavior,” he said.

Filming across Italy and France gave The Beauty a visual texture that the cast described as transformative. Ramos recalled the camaraderie that formed while shooting abroad, with cast and crew spending nights together at hotel bars in Rome and Venice. Hall shared a quieter moment, commuting to set by water taxi at dawn, watching Venice wake up around her.

Peters described filming at the Trevi Fountain at three in the morning, completely empty. “Unbelievable,” he said. Pope noted that shutting down such an iconic landmark made the scale of the series feel real for the first time.

Kutcher reflected on Europe’s history and how it deepened the show’s exploration of beauty. “Every building, every fresco—you go, there are lessons in these walls,” he said, noting how definitions of beauty have shifted across centuries.

With its blend of body horror, emotional intimacy, and cultural critique, The Beauty positions itself as more than a futuristic thriller. It’s a reflection of a world already chasing perfection, and a warning about what might be lost along the way.

The three-episode premiere of The Beauty begins at 9pm ET on Hulu and broadcasts on FX at 9/8c.