Who is Ruby in The Beauty? Bella Hadid’s Role and Acting Debut Explained

The wait is finally over. Today, January 21, 2026, Ryan Murphy’s latest body-horror obsession, The Beauty, premieres on FX and Hulu. While the star-studded cast features heavy hitters like Evan Peters and Ashton Kutcher, all eyes are on one particular guest star: Bella Hadid.

Marking her highest-profile acting role to date, the supermodel is stepping into the role of Ruby. But if you’re expecting a glamorous portrayal of the fashion industry, think again.

Meet Ruby, A Supermodel at the Center of a Conspiracy

In The Beauty, Bella Hadid plays Ruby, an international supermodel at the height of her fame and success. However, her character serves as the catalyst for the show’s dark central investigation.

The series follows FBI agents Cooper Madsen (Evan Peters) and Jordan Bennett (Rebecca Hall) as they investigate a series of gruesome deaths in the fashion world involving a sexually transmitted virus that grants physical perfection—at a lethal cost. Ruby is one of the high-profile faces associated with this “Beauty Shot.”

Read More: Is the Beauty Drug Real? The Science and ‘Ozempic Culture’ Behind FX’s New Show

Why Bella Hadid Asked to Look “Haggard”

One of the biggest talking points leading up to the premiere is Bella’s commitment to the “body horror” aspect of the show. Despite her real-life status as one of the world’s highest-paid models, she reportedly asked Ryan Murphy to strip away the glamour.

During the New York premiere at the MoMA on January 14, it was revealed that Bella specifically requested to look “haggard” and “not the girl next door” for her scenes. This is a far cry from her brief, buzzy cameo in Yellowstone or her guest run on Ramy. In The Beauty, we see a “botched” version of her character, including a trailer scene where she screams at her reflection before going on a rampage with a cast-iron pan.

Method Dressing and Motorcycle Stunts

Bella has fully leaned into the “Method Acting” trend for this press tour. At the NYC premiere, she stunned in a red sheer Schiaparelli Fall 2025 couture gown—a direct nod to the red leather motorcycle suit her character wears in the show.

While filming in Paris last year, Hadid was spotted performing her own stunts on a motorbike, covered in stage blood. According to the actress, the experience was “the complete opposite” of her professional modeling career. “The modeling has no connection to what I did on this set,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.

A New Chapter for Hadid

With the first three episodes—”Beautiful Pilot,” “Beautiful Jordan,” and “Beautiful Christopher Cross”—dropping today, The Beauty feels like the start of a major career pivot. Having taken a step back from the runway to focus on her fragrance line, Orebella, and her life in Texas, Hadid has made it clear that acting is her new dream.

As she joins the ranks of other breakout stars like Michelle Randolph, Bella Hadid is proving she is more than just a face—she’s a force to be watched in 2026.

How to Watch ‘The Beauty’

• Premiere Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2026
• Platform: FX at 9 p.m. ET/PT, streaming on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (International)
• Release Schedule: First 3 episodes available at launch, followed by weekly releases.