Sarah Paulson Is Hopeful That Her “Unconventional” Relationship With Holland Taylor Could Inspire Others

Ever since Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor‘s relationship first made headlines in 2015, the pair have been stuck under a magnifying glass—likely because of their 30-year-plus age gap, and because it’s still relatively uncommon to see two women in Hollywood be so casually, comfortably out. In a new interview for Elle‘s 2018 Women in Hollywood issue, though, Paulson said she doesn’t actually mind the scrutiny, if it means that others who may be holding back on finding happiness because they’re afraid of judgement or rejection might be inspired to live their lives as freely as she and Taylor do.

“I didn’t choose to fall in love with the person I fell in love with. But I think why it’s interesting to people is that on paper, it’s unconventional,” she said. “For a person who might find themselves in a situation that they fear will be misperceived or judged, maybe they could see me living my life in a way that is authentic to me—just trying to be as real as possible. If that inspires anybody else, that can’t be a bad thing.”

Paulson, 43, has previously spoken about how unconcerned she is with the public’s opinion of her relationship. “I do not want to be defined by who I share my bed, my home, my soul with,” she told Town & Country earlier this year. “My choices in life have been unconventional, and that’s my business. But I do want to live responsibly and truthfully without hiding. It’s complicated, because there is a lot of hate in this world, and a lot of good can come from quote-unquote normalizing something for people who don’t see it as normal. Our relationship represents a certain amount of hope and risk. Maybe there’s something brave in it. Maybe it encourages others to make brave choices. What else can I say? We love each other.”

And in May Paulson shut down any sort of unproductive speculation even further when she told Modern Luxury, “If anyone wants to spend any time thinking I’m strange for loving the most spectacular person on the planet, then that’s their problem. I’m doing just fine.”

Related: Photos: Sarah Paulson Won’t Be Typecast, On Screen or Off