“The Beauty” Star Rebecca Hall Breaks Down Her Character’s Surprising ‘Plot Twist’: ‘It’s a Real Punch’ (Exclusive)

Warning: Spoilers for the first three episodes of The Beauty, which premiered Wednesday, Jan. 21 on FX

Ryan Murphy‘s new body horror thriller, The Beauty, didn’t waste any time delivering one shocking twist after another in the first three episodes, which premiered Wednesday, Jan. 21, on FX, with the main one being that unexpected turn for Rebecca Hall‘s character, Jordan Bennett, an FBI agent who was tasked with investigating a series of high-profile deaths in the fashion world alongside partner Cooper Madsen (Evan Peters). 

After Ruby (Bella Hadid) goes on a murderous rampage before suddenly exploding in the the streets of Paris, Jordan and Cooper are sent all around Europe to find out not only what happened to the model, but to a few other rising stars in the fashion industry who also unexpectedly died, as well. It’s not long before they discover that they were all infected with the same mysterious virus.

Just as they start digging deeper into the death of an influencer in Venice, Italy, they get called to New York City, where a Vogue editor has suffered a similar fate. However, before the two agents head back to the States, Cooper gets chased down by two men on the streets while Jordan is seduced in the hotel lobby by a handsome stranger. 

Soon after heading upstairs to a private room, Jordan and the man have sex. However, unbeknownst to her, she’s been infected by the virus, which can be transmitted like an STI, and goes through the same horrific body transformation that the models went through — only to reveal a younger, even more beautiful version of herself (now played by Jessica Alexander). 

“I thought it was a great plot twist because it’s such a bait and switch situation,” Hall, 43, tells PEOPLE about Jordan’s fate, with the role being handed over to Alexander, 26. “It really sort of feels like I’m gonna be in the show as me all the way through. And so it’s really surprising that Ryan decided to make it happen so quickly into the show. It’s a real punch.” 

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She adds, “I thought that was really fun and unexpected.”

When it comes to the body convulsions that she had to perform as Jordan’s body succumbs to the virus, Hall says that “there was a lot of twisting” required. Those moments “are really awful to watch, actually,” she continues, with Peters, 39, adding that “what you see on-screen is a pretty painful and violent transformation sequence.” 

As for the series itself, Hall says that it was a refreshing experience, especially considering that Murphy, who co-created the show alongside Matt Hodgson, was very collaborative with her.

“The thing that really sold it to me, he was like, ‘I want you to be you and bring whatever you want to it,’ ” she recalls of his pitch for the show, which she describes as the “apex of Ryan Murphy.” 

“It’s not often that people ask me to be me,” she continues, explaining that “this is quite an extreme situation, but there was light fair, like there’s a romantic [element] and I’m not having a nervous breakdown or anything.” 

When it comes to playing Jordan, albeit briefly, Hall says, “I really liked her. She’s quite self-possessed and quite witty and she was fun to inhabit.” 

“She’s definitely a feminist,” the actress says of Jordan while noting that “the things she stands for, as an empowered free woman, also maybe get in the way of having actual feelings and being able to express them.” So when it comes to her dynamic with Cooper, who she has a sexual relationship with while maintaining boundaries to prevent anything from becoming too serious despite his feelings for her, it’s “a little heartbreaking,” Hall says of what happens to Jordan. 

As for where that leaves Cooper, Peters says that what happens to them “is a tragedy,” teasing that it “amplifies the need to solve the case,” even if that means “going rogue.” 

New episodes of The Beauty debut Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on FX and FX on Hulu until the season finale on March 4.