First Look At Lena Dunham In American Horror Story: Cult

Next week's episode of American Horror Story will be quite a memorable one given the actress at the forefront. Girls star Lena Dunham will make her appearance as Valerie Solanas, the woman who attempted to assassinate Andy Warhol (depicted in the series by Evan Peters) in 1968. 

Ahead of the new episode, entitled "Valerie Solanas Died for Your Sins: Scumbag," FX has released a trailer featuring the very first look at Dunham as Solanas. Her involvement in the hit anthology series was announced just two months ago. The footage shows Dunham's Solanas wearing a yellow dress and wool-lined green coat as she loads a shotgun and then points it toward someone off camera. Whether that moment is the actual murder attempt or isn't clear, but it definitely could be. The character is also seen about to kiss a black-haired woman that presumably runs in the same social circles Solanas does.

The upcoming installment will also feature noteworthy American Horror Story alum Frances Conroy, who is seen in the clip stating that she "knows what it means to assassinate a man." Conroy's role pretty mysterious, but based on her jet-black hair and blunt bangs, it appears that she is portraying an older version of the aforementioned character who knew Solanas in the 1960s. 

American Horror Story: Cult co-creator Ryan Murphy previously indicated that Peters will play a number of well-known cult figures, including Charles Manson, Jim Jones, and David Koresh, throughout the season. 

The seventh installment in the overall American Horror Story pantheon, Cult centers around Peters' Kai Anderson and Sarah Paulson's Ally Mayfair-Richards. Jumping off from the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the current season deals with dark phobias and the rise of a cult personality. Murphy once said that Cult is "not about Trump [and] it's not about Clinton," but rather, it's about "somebody with the wherewithal to put their finger up to the wind and... rise up and form power, and use people's vulnerabilities about how they're feeling afraid... and they feel like the world is on fire." The election point is just a jumping-off point from there. 

Cult also star Cheyenne Jackson as Dr. Rudy Vincent, Billie Lourd as Winter Anderson, Alison Pill as Ivy Mayfair-Richards, Cooper Dodson as Ozymandias "Oz" Mayfair-Richards, Adina Porter as Beverly Hope, Colton Haynes as Detective Jack Samuels, Leslie Grossman as Meadow Wilton, Chaz Bono as Gary Longstreet, James Morosini as R.J., and Dermot Mulroney as Bob Thompson.

American Horror Story: Cult airs on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on FX.