Warning: This Q&A contains spoilers for the “Room 33” episode of American Horror Story: Hotel.

The fourth time’s a charm for Denis O’Hare when it comes to American Horror Story.

The Portland-based actor has always had memorable parts on the franchise — burnt stalker/jilted Constance paramour, mute butler, well-endowed con man/freak killer — but transgender desk clerk/bartender/monster baby feeder Liz Taylor, with her high heels, intense eye makeup, witty retorts, and moments of intense vulnerability, will be unforgettable long past Hotel’s finale.

O’Hare spoke with Yahoo TV about the origins of the character, the Liz look, learning to live as a female, the responsibility of portraying someone on a transgender journey, and where she will go now that the Countess has taken his “one great love” from him.

How was the character of Liz Taylor first explained to you?

Ryan [Murphy] always starts with a very strong inspiration from his background research. He first spoke to me about Liz in January. He had been reading about a drag queen that died in a fire at a discotheque in the ‘70s in Germany. That was a tragic figure, and she might die in a fire at the hotel and haunt it. Or maybe she would be a serial killer drag queen. Obviously, that went away.

Then I got an email asking if I wanted to play a character. She has a shaved head, Cleopatra eye, bold lip — gorgeous. My imagination ran wild. It wasn’t until I got into L.A. in July and had my first costume fitting and got into the heels and the clothes that I really started to figure her out.

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Was she always going to be inspired by Elizabeth Taylor?

We had explored other people: singers and figures. But I knew it was Liz by the time I had my costume fitting. I watched Butterfield 8 and Cleopatra again to watch the way she moved and to capture little teeny snippets of her in order to evoke her. I stayed away from Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?

How did the character evolve?

Once we get into reading scripts and shooting, things change for all kinds of reasons. They change because the writers are trying to balance characters or storylines. They change because the writers see what we are doing, and they start to write to our strengths or what is successful on screen as they get to know the characters, the actors, and the set. It’s one big feedback loop.

Were there any details of her look, backstory, or vibe that you added?

I want to make sure it is clear that they create it. We don’t have that much input on who the character is, or what the character does or says. I did have one suggestion that they ran with, and I was so happy for that. I didn’t want her to be a bitchy trashy magazine-reading shallow girl. I thought it was better if she read incredible literature at the desk because she is intelligent and has a thirst to better herself. So I have read Karl Marx, Ulysses, Candide.

You have gotten to wear quite a variety of dresses, gowns, super high heels, earrings.

The look just spews drama. Especially when walking down the hallways and turning corners. Love that.

What did you do to prepare for that part of this character? Did you really shave your head?

Shaving my head was the first thing that Ryan said I have to do, and I didn’t have a problem with that. Hair grows back. I did it years ago for a production at the Public. In a way, I was always dying to have someone ask me to do it again, because being asked to do outrageous things is fun.

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Did you pierce your ears? I noticed you wore earrings to the Hotel premiere.

My left ear is pierced. I pierced it years ago in Chicago. There was a scene originally where The Countess was going to pierce my ears when she was transforming me, and there would be blood and everything. I said, “We could fake it with my already pierced ear.” And Stephanie [Lady Gaga] was like, “Oooh, let me pierce the other one live on camera.” But then we realized that we had already established that she wears clip-ons, so the pierced ear scene went away.