Sarah Paulson, 42, opens up about 'unconventional' romance with 74-year-old Holland Taylor

Sarah Paulson readily admits that her relationship status has given some people pause.

"My life choices are, um, unconventional," Paulson, 42, told The Edit as she opened up about her relationship with 74-year-old Holland Taylor. "I'm with a much older person, and people find that totally fascinating and odd, and, to me, it’s the least interesting thing about me."

That said, she added, "But I do feel a bit unconventional. I am a woman of a certain age who chose not to have children, and who has made my career my priority. I am the captain of my own ship, and I’ve never looked to anyone else to validate that, or tell me it’s okay.”

Despite the notable age difference, Paulson was surprised when friends voiced concern about how the relationship would be perceived by the public.

"Early on, when people found out I was with Holland, some said, 'I think you have to be careful, I'm afraid it's going to affect your career negatively,'" she recalled. "I was like, what? It never occurred to me at all."

But the feedback weighed on her a bit as she took to the Emmys stage in 2016 to accept her well-deserved award for "American Crime Story: The People v. OJ Simpson." She wasn't sure, she said, if she should publicly declare "I love you" to her girlfriend.

"It occurred to me, should I not do that? And then I thought, why would I not? The fact that I'm having this thought is wrong," she explained. "But I had a moment of societal concern, wondering if, maybe, people who didn't know that about me would be like, wait, what?! But then, you know, I did it anyway."

Before finding love with Taylor, who is more than 30 years her senior, Paulson dated actress Cherry Jones, who is 19 years older. And before Jones, she mostly dated men.

Read The Edit's full interview with Sarah Paulson here.