Now airing,Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessettetells the tragic tale ofJohn Jr. and Carolyn, beginning with the plane ride that would ultimately lead to their deaths and flashing back to the early days of their relationship.
Executive producers Brad Simpson and Nina Jacobson thought that finding Carolyn would be the hardest role to cast, but Sarah Pidgeon stood out immediately. "We saw her on tape and everyone agreed there was something special. And then we brought her in, and on that day, I think it was one of our first groups of 12 people we brought in," Simpson toldPeople. "We really locked into her pretty quickly. She just had — not only the physicality and the likeness — but there was something that was both very warm about her, but also inaccessible at the same time, that was what we thought Carolyn had."
Finding John Jr. was more challenging; with three weeks to go until production started, the team still had not cast him. "We'd seen every male actor between the age of 25 and 38. [Creator] Connor [Hines] was coming in every day with models he'd found on Instagram, sending cold emails," Simpson says. They eventually went back to the first pool of self-tapes, which included Paul Anthony Kelly, and called in a few for screen tests. "I remember at the screen test, one of the hair and makeup people passed by me, and was like, 'You're crazy if you don't cast him,'" Simpson says. "It was just clear that he was JFK."
Here, see how Pidgeon, Kelly, and more cast members ofLove Story(formerly calledAmerican Love Story) compare to their real-life counterparts:
Paul Anthony Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr.
Newcomer Paul Anthony Kelly—he has previous experience in modeling and theater—plays John F. Kennedy Jr., the son of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy.
The show captured John Jr.'s preferred method of transportation around NYC (and penchant for backwards caps).
Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette
Sarah Pidgeon, whoearned a Tony nominationfor her Broadway debut inStereophonic, leads the cast as Carolyn Bessette, a fashion publicist who married John F. Kennedy Jr. in September 1996.
Many of the outfits onLove Storyare recreations of what Carolyn really wore.
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Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy
Naomi Watts (who has been in everything, fromMulholland DrivetoFeud: Capote vs. the Swans) transforms into Jackie Kennedy inAmerican Love Story, portraying the former First Lady towards the end of her life, when she was battling non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy
Grace Gummer, daughter of Meryl Streep, plays Caroline, daughter of John and Jackie. Caroline would go on to serve as a U.S. Ambassador to Japan (under the Obama administration) and to Australia (under the Biden administration).
Sydney Lemmon as Lauren Bessette
Sydney Lemmon, perhaps best known for her role in the playJob, on and off Broadway, takes on the role of Carolyn's older sister, a banker at Morgan Stanley who tragically died in the same plane crash that claimed the lives of John and Carolyn.
Alessandro Nivola as Calvin Klein
Alessandro Nivola (you may know him fromMansfield Park, orThe Brutalist, or as Emily Mortimer's real-life husband) plays fashion designer Calvin Klein; Carolyn worked as director of publicity at his brand in the 90s.
Leila George as Kelly Klein
Australian American actress Leila George, the daughter of Vincent D'Onofrio and Greta Sacchi, plays Kelly Klein (née Rector), Calvin's wife at the time the show takes places. (Kelly and Calvin divorced in 2016). George has had roles inAnimal Kingdom, Disclaimer, andThe Beast in Me.
Dree Hemingway as Daryl Hannah
Dree Hemingway, model, actress, and great-granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway, plays Daryl Hannah, an actress and environmental activist who dated John F. Kennedy Jr. before he met Carolyn.
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