How Does the Cast of Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. And Carolyn Bessette Compare to Their Real-Life Counterparts?
Ryan Murphy is taking a much-needed break from making shows about serial killers. His upcoming series, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, is instead—as the name suggests—a devastating love story, inspired by the real lives of Kennedy Jr. and Bessette, whose early courtship and high-profile marriage ended with their tragic deaths in a plane crash in 1999. Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Anthony Kelly portray Bessette and Kennedy Jr., respectively.
“What was so exciting in taking on this role was this freedom I had in learning about this person and then creating this character,” Pidgeon told Marie Claire. She also acknowledged the pressures in playing a real-life person. “She’s become so incredibly important to me, and I revere her and everything that I’ve learned about her and her legacy,” she continued. “I understand people also have that affinity and care and investment in her, and I think that’s true of anyone who plays a real person. I certainly felt the responsibility of playing Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and I carried that every day.”
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette premieres with three episodes on Feb. 12, 2026 on FX and Hulu. Ahead, get to know the rest of the cast—and see how they compare with the real figures they play.
Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette
Sarah Pidgeon (I Know What You Did Last Summer, Tiny Beautiful Things) plays Carolyn Bessette, who worked as a publicist for Calvin Klein before meeting John F. Kennedy Jr.
Paul Anthony Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr.
Newcomer Paul Anthony Kelly plays John F. Kennedy Jr., the son of late president John F. Kennedy and former first lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis.
Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy Onassis
Naomi Watts (All’s Fair, Too Much) plays Jackie Kennedy Onassis, widow of the late president John F. Kennedy. She went on to marry Aristotle Onassis, who died in 1975.
Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy
Grace Gummer (Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, American Horror Story) plays Caroline Kennedy, John F. Kennedy Jr.’s older sister.
Ben Shenkman as Edwin Schlossberg
Ben Shenkman (Billions, The Trial of the Chicago 7) plays Edwin Schlossberg, Caroline Kennedy’s husband.
Alessandro Nivola as Calvin Klein
Alessandro Nivola (The Brutalist, American Hustle) plays Calvin Klein, the American fashion designer for whom Carolyn Bessette worked.
Leila George as Kelly Klein
Leila George (The Beast in Me, Disclaimer) plays Kelly Klein, Calvin Klein’s wife from 1986 to 2006.