‘American Horror Story’s’ Jessica Lange hints to hanging up the horror

A collective gasp among die-hard “American Horror Story� fans detonated Friday, just before noon Pacific time.

Jessica Lange, the dowager of the FX anthology series, laid the seeds that her end on the drama is drawing near. [Insert GASP!]

The 64-year-old actress, best known for her film work in such touchstones as “King Kong� and “Tootsie,� experienced a career renaissance since joining forces with Ryan Murphy, appearing in his spookfest cable project. Her eery portrayal of meddling neighbor Constance Langdon earned her critical praise and awards acclaim. The momentum continued with her turn as sadistic nun Sister Jude Martin last season — a role that earned her yet another Emmy nomination.

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And while Lange is in production on the third season, in which she’ll play a witch, she told The Times during a live Web chat that she’d be happy if her run ended there — “I think that would be wonderful because it would be a trilogy.� But wait, there’s hope. She’s also open to the idea of one more season, hinting that there’s an area she wants to explore (let’s hope Murphy is taking suggestions).

But then that’s it.

“I think that would be the absolute stop date,� she said. “One more after this, because ... it takes up a lot of time. It’s a big commitment every year. There’s a lot of other things that I want to be doing.�

How will the “AHS� community cope? Before plotting a “DON’T LEAVE ‘AHS,’ JESSICA!� campaign, watch the video above to hear what Lange had to say about working with Murphy, being exposed to a younger generation of fans, and her plans to return to theater.

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