Micaela Diamond isn’t exactly drawn to the macabre. “I had to bail on going to a haunted house for my friend’s birthday in high school and cried myself to sleep with FOMO, but I knew it was the right choice in my heart,” she laughs. So, how does someone with an aversion to all things spooky find the courage to step into the twisted world of horror mastermind Ryan Murphy? For Diamond, it’s simply part of the craft.

Ahead of Hulu’s release of Grotesquerie, Wonderland sat down with the rising star to discuss her creative upbringing, her approach to embracing Sister Megan’s shame through humour, and the intense preparation that shaped the role—from devouring cult documentaries to Catholicism coaching aimed at “understanding the Jesus and kneeling of it all” as a “quite Jewish person.” Keep reading…

​​How are you today? What have you been up to lately?
I’m very good. I just moved to Williamsburg, so constantly and desperately trying to be young, cool, and hip. I just wrapped an indie film that I have been shooting in Flatbush for the past month and feel a bit melancholy it’s over. A fleeting life we live as actors!

Before we dive into your new project, let’s go back to the beginning. Tell us a bit about your upbringing and what sparked your interest in acting in the first place.
I grew up in Margate, New Jersey where landmarks include Lucy the Elephant and being five minutes away from Atlantic City (dark, I know). For as long as I can remember, I loved singing and dancing and having people clap rapidly for me and so my mom moved me when I was ten years old from the little beach town to the Big Apple where people take clapping very seriously. She’s the greatest.

Congratulations on Grotesquerie! Tell us a bit about the project and what it’s been like bringing it to life.
Grotesquerie is a TV series about a small town dealing with a string of horrifying religiously themed murders. The lead detective, Lois (Niecy Nash), teams up with Sister Megan (me!), a kooky nun and journalist obsessed with murders and cults, and we try to solve it together. I love playing Sister Megan and love the show and how people are receiving it.

Walk us through your character’s arc and what about it fascinated you in the first place.
She’s very Squeaky Fromme inspired. She’s dedicated to really looking at the evil of the world and believes it will bring more people to the church, “asses to masses.” She’s hot for the priest and gets off on doing good work for him until it becomes too hot, and she feels massive guilt for her sins and sings about it in a car. You’ll have to watch the show to see what she does with all the shame. It involves a carrot and Louboutins.

How were your character preparation days? What helped you embody this role?
I watched like 18 cult documentaries and then had to stop because I was living alone for the first time and had to make better choices. I also listened to Squeaky Fromme’s psychiatric evaluations. I worked with my acting coach who, coincidentally is quite Catholic. Which was good. Because I am quite Jewish. I needed to understand the Jesus and kneeling of it all. I also wanted to delve into a specific style of humor that almost felt like Fargo, so I rewatched that a few times too. And then you throw it all away on your way to set and try to just listen and react! That part is easier said than done.

Have you always been a fan of the genre and a true-crime enthusiast? What about your character do you find most relatable, and what were the most challenging parts of the role?
I hate scary things, sigh. I had to bail on going to a haunted house for my friend’s birthday in high school and cried myself to sleep with FOMO but knew it was right in my heart. I think the most relatable thing about my character is her shame. We’ve all got it. She is quite literally veiled in holiness so the temptation to sin becomes deeply confusing. I think we all wrestle at some point with what we want not aligning with our morals. I genuinely think the most challenging part was speaking in tongues. How does one do this? Yes, I watched some videos. It’s just not that easy. But necessity is the mother of invention, etc etc.

How did it feel to enter Ryan Murphy’s world for the first time? Do you have any favourite memories from set?
Ryan Murphy runs a well-oiled machine. I love his set. I love his troupe of actors, directors, costume designers. One of my favorite memories was shooting Episode 8. We shot the first 15 minutes as a one take in 105-degree heat. It was a real team effort. A literal dance between actor and camera operators. Sun versus Man. Tears were shed, quick changes were had, blood bags were squeezed. It was so satisfying to see it all come together and to go home that week knowing we got the shot. I love being a part of [Ryan Murphy’s] universe. He really gives actors the opportunity to stretch, and I want to do it again and again and again

If you were to describe this new chapter of your artistry, what would you call it? And why?
Well, the boring but true answer is that I come from the theater! So, I think this new chapter would be called television. But the creative answer would be “the jewish nun.”

All episodes of Grotesquerie are now available on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ in the U.K.