Bethlehem’s Emily Mest stars in Netflix’s ‘Ratched’ and ‘American Horror Story’
Bethlehem native Emily
Mest was only 5 years old when she decided she wanted to be an actor. Fresh from seeing a performance of “Oliver” onstage and a screening of “Titanic” starring her favorite actor Leonardo DiCaprio, Mest was ready for her close-up.
“I’ve wanted to act as long as I can remember, but I think I was five when I got the bug … and I told my parents that I wanted to be an actor,” she recalls.
“My parents put me in acting, singing, and dancing lessons that year and I haven’t stopped since.”
Less than a decade after touring the country as the youngest member of the cast of the Tony-winning “Spring Awakening,” Mest is watching her profile rise thanks to roles in two TV projects: “American Horror Story: Apocalypse” and “Ratched,” the now-streaming Netflix series which serves as an origin story for Nurse Ratched (Sarah Paulson), the “One
Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” baddie.
“It absolutely feels like a breakthrough for me,” says the actress who once toiled at Rave Cinemas at the Promenade. “Working in TV is completely different from working in film and on the stage, and it was great to finally break into that arena. As it turns out, TV is so fun and the incredible material we worked with made it even better.”
After appearing in the role of an ill-fated hitchhiker in “American Horror Story: 1984,” Mest got the call about “Ratched,” another Ryan Murphy production.
“I auditioned for ‘American Horror Story,’ and was lucky enough to get cast in a really exciting episode in which Sarah Paulson was the director and my scenes were with Kathy Bates,” notes Mest.
“Working with them was incredible. When casting time came around for ‘Ratched’ they brought me in to audition … and I was able to work with Ryan Murphy as director on this one. The whole Ryan Murphy team of creatives and the crew are absolutely amazing and the best at what they do. So getting to work with a lot of the same people twice was a real joy.”
As far as Mest is concerned, slipping into the vintage “Ratched” outfits was an important step in shaping her character.
“I’m a bit obsessed with history myself, so I was geeking out over the clothes and accessories,” says the actress. “Putting those real vintage clothes on helped us get into character like you can’t believe.
“Suddenly you walk differently and carry yourself differently based on the era. These women wore layers and layers
of clothing, I don’t think I’ve ever had better posture in my life than wearing those costumes.”
The daughter of Valley residents Dr. Carol Gullo Mest, a nurse practitioner and professor, and Scenic Luxury Cruises sales director Charlie Mest, Emily graduated from Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts in 2010.
Mest lives in Los Angeles
these days, but comes back to Bethlehem at least twice a year for Christmas and her family’s annual crab feast.
“I miss the change in season, my family, my friends, but let’s be honest I miss Wawa the most!”