Ryan Murphy auditioned roughly 500 actors before casting newcomer Igby Rigney in 'The Shards'

Roughly 500 actors auditioned for the lead in FX's "The Shards" before Ryan Murphy cast 26-year-old Igby Rigney, who had never headlined a series. Rigney plays a semi-autobiographical young Bret Easton Ellis in the adaptation of Ellis' 2023 novel, which premiered 5 Aug. 2026 on FX and Hulu. Murphy disclosed the figure to Variety.