It’s not often that we hear about how an actor’s role affected them or put them in a precarious situation, but that’s exactly what happened to Gabourey Sidibe after she filmed “American Horror Story: Coven” in 2013. And now she’s opening up about the scary encounter!
The Oscar-nominated actress recently spoke out about her experience playing Queenie, a witch who was part of the Witch’s Counsel in seasons three, five, and eight. While speaking in a new interview with PEOPLE at the premiere of “American Horror Story: 13,” where she reprises the role, she detailed a frightening ordeal that took place when she first filmed it over a decade ago and had to recite a Latin spell in one of her scenes.
“Sometimes, when they come around and give us Latin spells to do, Latin is a dead language for a reason. It can be a little spooky; it’s alive. And when you wake it up, it can rattle you a little bit. I had to do a spell, and it was shaking the table on me. It really put me through it,” she said.
Related: The Curious Case of Gabourey Sidibe
She then shared how the eerie encounter and creepy feelings followed her home to the point where she had to tap into her Catholic faith to ward off any evil spirits.
“Something definitely, I think, was trying to follow me off set. But I had to stop it with some sea salt and the archangel, Saint Michael. If you’re Catholic or you know Catholic angel lore, Saint Michael steps on the devil and keeps him from coming up. So he keeps evil away,” she told the outlet. “After that show, I carried that card on me for about five years.”
Sidibe’s words echo those of a previous interview she did years ago that recently resurfaced on X/Twitter, where she went into further detail about her apprehension about saying the Latin lines and what she went through while saying the lines.
“I started feeling a finger here [pointing to her chin]. It [a voice] said, ‘I told you to watch your mouth.’ And the next thing I know, both my lips are again five times their size,” she explained.
In the comments section, many viewers expressed feeling similar feelings even while watching through their TV screens.
“I watch it at work, Cause no spirits are lingering in my apartment,” wrote one user on TikTok.
“I always hit the mute button when they start with their spells,” said another.
One other user wrote, “I always felt weird when I watched Coven; it has some bad energy.”
Added another: “I hate when people who don’t practice witchcraft wanna add it to shows; it’s soooo dangerous to not only the actors but the viewers.”
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