Joey Pollari as Ben DeSoto, Paul Anthony Kelly as Young Nas, and Fedor Steer as Mr. Nas are the three new faces carrying the present-tense mystery of American Horror Story Season 13. Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, and the rest of the returning ensemble fill the frame with history. These three give the season a living question mark on the thirteenth floor of the Apollyon instead of only a reunion parade.
That distinction is the difference between a greatest-hits tour and a new chapter. Crossovers fail when every scene is a cameo. Season 13 avoids that trap by putting unfamiliar bodies in the most important rooms — the hospice suite, the crash aftermath, the dual timeline of Nas himself.
Spotted near 23rd Avenue, had to take some pics. The support you've all shown #AHS13 is incredible. We're the #1 show on @hulu and @DisneyPlus and @FXNetworks. First three episodes out now go watch !
— joey pollari (@JoeyPollari) September 26, 2026
Joey Pollari as Ben DeSoto in AHS 13
Pollari is the audience entry point. Ben survives a plane crash in seat 13F, takes a hospice job caring for Mr. Nas under Constance Langdon, and watches the number 13 pattern — including the Twisty clown school massacre — through clinical triskaidekaphobia. Every mass death of thirteen hits him before the mythology fully names itself.
That design is deliberate. Ben does not arrive knowing Murder House lore or Apocalypse hierarchy. He arrives afraid of a number and then watches the number keep proving him right. For U.S. viewers who are new or returning after a long break, he is the character who makes the Apollyon feel dangerous instead of only nostalgic.
Pollari has also used his own platform to push the season’s early chart success, posting street photos and thanking fans after the first three episodes landed at the top of Hulu and Disney+. The promotional noise matters less than the structural job: without Ben, the thirteenth floor has no ordinary witness.
Paul Anthony Kelly and Fedor Steer as Mr. Nas
Kelly plays Young Nas after his breakout as JFK Jr. in Love Story. Steer plays the elderly version — the body that reacts to mass death, the horns at 1:13 a.m., the tail Ben notices during a sponge bath. The dual casting is the strongest early clue that Mr. Nas exists across time while Constance cares for him by day and the portal under the building waits for the 13 leading ladies.
Steer does the harder visual job. An elderly patient can read as pure vulnerability until the horns appear. Kelly’s younger version, once fully used, can turn that vulnerability into history — proof that whatever Nas is has been becoming for a long time. Together they keep the season’s central mystery from belonging only to the returning stars.
Why New Faces Matter More Than Cameos
Ryan Murphy’s pre-season comments framed Season 13 as a story big enough that old villains must unite as heroes. That only works if the threat feels new. Pollari, Kelly, and Steer are how the show tries to make the threat feel new without abandoning the franchise’s memory. Watch how often the camera stays with them when the famous names could easily dominate the frame. That ratio is the season’s real bet.
What to Watch in the Next Batches
October’s episodes will show whether these three newcomers keep the camera. If Ben becomes only a witness who opens doors for famous faces, the season will have wasted its strongest point-of-view tool. If Young Nas appears with enough screen time to change how the elderly body reads, the dual casting will stop being a casting note and start being a timeline statement. Steer and Kelly together are the only new dual role that can compete with Lange’s multi-character return for structural importance.
Pollari’s early promotional energy also sets a tone. The season opened as a chart leader. New faces who treat that success as a live event help the show feel current instead of archival. The test is whether the writing keeps giving them scenes that justify the attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who plays Ben DeSoto in American Horror Story Season 13?
Joey Pollari.
Who plays Mr. Nas in AHS 13?
Fedor Steer plays the elderly Mr. Nas. Paul Anthony Kelly plays Young Nas.
Why does the dual casting of Nas matter?
It suggests the character exists across time, supporting theories that Nas is more than human and tying the present-day Apollyon plot to a longer transformation.
