Sarah Paulson and Ryan Murphy's friendship is not a horror story, but it is an awesomely weird one. This is clear from their interview with Elle , which got into the nitty-gritty of their creative relationship, including six seasons of American Horror Story and an Emmy win for The People vs. O.J. Simpson. Paulson, who will also star in Murphy's new series Feud , went as far to credit her current success to him. "By continuing to employ me and continuing to throw enormous acting challenges at me," Paulson said, "he has made me find my confidence, and I did not have that before him." Murphy says he doesn't consider Paulson his muse but says they have a "really modern relationship" that could only have "happened in this place and time, with both of us being where we are as adults." The two met when they were in their 30s after "coming off WB shows" — he had done Popular, while she was on Jack and Jill — but what sealed the deal for Murphy on this friendship was after he cast her as medium Billie Dean Howard in AHS: Murder House."All I had to say was, 'Sarah, the entire performance is based on your manicure,'" he explained. "She knew instantly what I was talking about, and we were off to the races." Both Murphy and Paulson admit to having a lonely childhood, which Murphy believes has brought them together in adulthood. "Like me, I think Sarah felt, growing up, that she was a stranger in a strange land and that she didn't have a lot of support," Murphy said. "So as somebody who loves her, I just want her to know, 'No, I support you in every way.'" It's why Paulson is down for whatever weird thing Murphy asks her to do. Whether it's playing conjoined twins or breastfeeding a serial killer, she trusts he knows what he's doing. "I love it more than anything," Paulson said of working with Murphy. "I'm more scared of feeling stuck in something sedentary or boring." The two don't truly know how they got so lucky to find such a great creative partner, but they're friends to the very end. An end that Murphy jokes may be a tragic one. "I don't know why I was gifted with this person," Murphy said. "But I know we're on the highway, and we're not getting off until there's a crash."