Former JFK Jr. Staffer Reacts to Sarah Pidgeon’s Role in Love Story

by

Lisa DePaulo is weighing in on this romantic portrayal. 

With FX’s series Love Story delving into the marriage of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, a journalist who worked with JFK Jr. at George magazine in the 1990s has shared her opinion on Sarah Pidgeon’s portrayal of Carolyn in the show.

In her February 24th column for The Hollywood Reporter, Lisa wrote that she found the lead actors to be the most palatable. She specifically mentioned Carolyn, John’s wife, who remained private throughout their relationship and never gave interviews. Actress Sarah Pidgeon, who played Carolyn, had limited source material to draw from. Lisa clarified that her acquaintance with Carolyn was casual – they’d meet at social events and share brief moments together, like having a cigarette outside.

Although the fashion publicist—who tragically died with John and her sister Lauren Bessette in a plane crash in July 1999—kept her personal life to herself, Laura feels Sarah, age 29, did thorough research and accurately portrayed her personality.

Pidgeon accurately captures Carolyn as incredibly intelligent and witty, according to the author. Beyond that, Pidgeon perfectly conveys the unique and captivating quality Carolyn possessed – that undeniable charm that made it clear why John was so deeply in love with her.

The 65-year-old added that the actress possessed a rare combination of self-assurance and compassion, making her beloved by people of all genders. She felt the actress captured that quality perfectly. DePaulo also complimented Paul Anthony Kelly’s portrayal of JFK Jr., pointing out that his walk and actions, like locking his bike, accurately reflected the real man’s behavior, even bringing her to tears.

She also praised Kelly’s ability to mimic John’s voice in most scenes. ‘John had a very unique way of speaking – his rhythm and tone were instantly recognizable,’ she explained. ‘When Kelly sounded just like him, it was incredibly moving. And the natural back-and-forth dialogue was also well-written by the screenwriters.’

Like Laura, Sarah appreciated how private Carolyn and JFK Jr. kept their relationship. They even had their 1996 wedding in a secluded church in Georgia instead of closer to home in New York. The actress, who played Lazareth, believed this privacy actually strengthened Carolyn’s ability to connect with her work.

Sarah explained to TopMob News that portraying this person allowed audiences to easily create their own stories and impressions, both of her and of the couple. She believes it was challenging for the subject to navigate the pressures of being a Kennedy and John’s wife, especially concerning public perception and expectations.

Keep reading to see more fact and fictional moments in the Ryan Murphy series…

In the movie Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, Carolyn (played by Sarah Pidgeon) advises Annette Bening (played by Megan Channell) to wear a Calvin Klein suit to the Bugsy premiere instead of the dress the designer chose for her.

I’ve always been fascinated by Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s style, and it’s amazing to think about her work at Calvin Klein. I read a fascinating article in the New York Times from 1996 that said she was the one everyone turned to – celebrities like Annette, Diane Sawyer, and even Blaire Trump – when they needed something from Calvin Klein. It makes me wonder if she had a hand in styling the look for Warren Beatty’s future wife, though that’s never been confirmed.

According to Paul Wilmott, who was Calvin Klein’s VP of public relations at the time, she expertly helped customers select clothes, offering advice on what suited them and how to create complete outfits. He said this talent led to millions of dollars in clothing sales over the years.

In a scene from Love Story, Carolyn demonstrates her sharp instincts by advising Calvin (played by Alessandro Nivola) to feature Kate Moss in an advertising campaign.

Carolyn was one of the first people to recognize Kate Moss’s potential, and she played a key role in shaping the Calvin Klein image of the 1990s.

In the movie Love Story, Calvin brings Carolyn and John together at a charity event in 1992, and they immediately feel a connection. However, Carolyn playfully declines to give Calvin her phone number, reminding him he can easily reach her at work.

“He was simply bored,” Carolyn explained to her friends at the nightclub, just as Michael Bergin (who her friends playfully called “sexy doorman” and was played by Noah Fearnley) walked in.

John unexpectedly appeared at Calvin Klein and requested a private fitting with Carolyn. He then invited her to dinner, and when he left, her coworkers were completely shocked and excited.

According to Elizabeth Beller’s 2024 biography, Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy first met in the spring of 1992. He was at Calvin Klein for a private fitting, and her coworkers were reportedly very excited. John then asked Carolyn to join him at a gala, but she initially declined an invitation to an after-party because she mistakenly believed he was with another woman, as MJ Bettenhausen told Beller.

Carolyn and Michael, a model who previously worked as a hotel doorman, briefly dated starting in the fall of 1992, but their relationship was mostly on-and-off, according to Beller’s book.

In his 2004 book, The Other Man, Bergin claimed he was sexually involved with Carolyn throughout her entire relationship with John, even until her death. However, according to Beller, many of Carolyn’s friends doubted this claim.

In the movie Love Story, Carolyn is waiting at an Indian restaurant for John. She’s about to leave after waiting for twenty minutes when he finally arrives, riding up on his bicycle.

He accidentally left the car unlocked, and when they finished their long date, they discovered it had been stolen. This meant he ended up walking Carolyn home instead.

He said he wished he hadn’t felt so rushed as they reached her door. She asked what he meant, and he kissed her. He then wondered if he’d see her again, and she replied that she’d enjoyed their evening together before ending the date.

In real life, John and this person actually went on a first date, and it’s possible he biked there and was a little late. However, the image of them connecting over drinks was likely staged for the show.

Okay, so John’s girlfriend, Daryl – played by Dree Hemingway – was actually at his place when he got back. It’s just… ironic, because he’d been telling Anthony Radziwill, his cousin and best friend (Erich Bergen plays him), all about how desperately he wants to call Carolyn. It’s a messy situation, honestly, and as a fan, it’s killing me to watch!

He’s planning to take Daryl to a wedding in October 1993 – his cousin Edward Kennedy Jr.’s – despite his mother, Jacqueline Kennedy, being strongly against it. Meanwhile, Carolyn discovers from a tabloid magazine that the man who seemed so interested in her is actually back together with his famous ex-girlfriend.

John continued to send Carolyn flowers, and eventually confessed to her at an event that he was struggling because he believed she disliked him. Carolyn responded by saying she didn’t know him well enough to feel any hatred towards him.

The unexpected meeting was a striking way to introduce the star of Splash in Love Story, but producers didn’t consult Daryl, who has been married to Neil Young since 2018.

Producer Nina Jacobson explained to Gold Derby that they focus on understanding the core motivations of their characters. She said it’s difficult to balance multiple external expectations when trying to portray real people authentically, so they generally avoid extensive interviews or research beyond what’s necessary, except in unusual circumstances.

According to Jacobson, Daryl acts as a challenge to what the story needs, but the show still highlights her understanding of the celebrity world, something Carolyn lacks.

When John walks in and sees Daryl hanging out with her eccentric friends, it’s a clear signal that major changes are coming. She ultimately breaks up with him, pushing him to discover his true desires.

Daryl promised to come back for her dog, Hank. However, while John was walking Hank, someone asked him for an autograph, causing him to lose the leash. Tragically, Hank was then hit by a taxi and killed. John flew to Los Angeles to return Hank’s ashes to Daryl.

According to the 2024 book JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography by RoseMarie Terenzio and Liz McNeil, John F. Kennedy Jr.’s friend, Sasha Chermayeff, shared that John’s dog, Hank, ran into traffic and was struck by a car while they were walking in Central Park in May 1994.

You know, I’ve heard a really heartbreaking story about a difficult time in someone’s life. Apparently, a friend – Steven Gillon – shared that this person had traveled to L.A. for what seemed like a small task: burying a pet dog. But while he was there, his mother’s health took a very bad turn. He was incredibly upset, feeling like being asked to attend a dog’s funeral while his mother was battling cancer was a really insensitive request. It just highlights how life can throw unexpected challenges at you when you least expect them.

In the movie Love Story, Jackie (played by Naomi Watts) leaves a voicemail for John while he’s flying, and then collapses at home. This scene was created to be dramatic, but it also emphasizes how severely ill Jackie was after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in December 1993. She sadly passed away on May 19, 1994.

John and Carolyn hadn’t seen each other since the disastrous gala until they ran into each other again at a fundraiser on May 18, 1992.

They connected immediately and dated all summer, but eventually drifted apart for nearly two years, as described in Beller’s book. It wasn’t until after Jackie’s passing that they finally became a lasting couple.

According to executive producer Brad Simpson, the couple’s relationship was more complicated than what viewers saw on the show. He explained to USA Today that they needed to move the story forward and felt audiences wouldn’t enjoy watching the ups and downs of a relationship that wasn’t consistently progressing.

When he brings Carolyn home to his loft for the first time, John realizes he forgot his keys.

Although it looked good on television, the real John was often forgetful and frequently misplaced things like his keys and wallet. This habit eventually made Carolyn hesitant to fly with him by himself after he earned his pilot’s license.

Beyond that hint of what’s to come, John doesn’t mention the real reason he’s taking Carolyn to a party at his sister Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg’s house – it’s a formal birthday dinner for Caroline.

Oh my god, when Carolyn was freaking out, and she tried to reassure her about John’s… tendencies, I was dying. And then Caroline – Grace Gummer, seriously, a queen – had to clarify! Like, she was all, ‘No, no, he just forgets things, it’s not like he’s casually inviting other women over without warning!’ It was SO subtle, but it painted such a perfect picture of John and how… complicated he is. I rewatched that part like five times.

John introduced Carolyn to his sister on her 37th birthday, November 27, 1994. According to Carole Radziwill’s memoir, What Remains, the event was a party held at Carolyn’s Park Avenue apartment, not a formal dinner.

The former Real Housewives star, who attended with Anthony and was excited to see Carolyn, described her friend entering the private room looking beautiful and unapologetically herself, and acting very warmly and spontaneously.

Caroline embraced John and greeted Carolyn with a friendly “So nice to meet you,” according to Carole. Afterwards, Carolyn’s friends offered polite smiles before turning their attention back to John.

Beller’s book, Once Upon a Time, reveals that initial impressions of Carolyn and Caroline not getting along were incorrect. Someone who saw them having lunch described them as genuinely enjoying each other’s company, with lively conversation and plenty of laughter.

John played touch football with friends and later discovered a letter in his gym bag. The letter claimed Carolyn had used her connection to her boss, Calvin Klein, to get a meeting with him, hoping to start a relationship. When Carolyn visited him, John confronted her about the letter, and she was upset he’d believe such a thing, so she left.

After what felt like ages, he finally came to her apartment and admitted he’d made a mistake. This honest conversation led to him telling her he loved her for the very first time.

According to Beller, John received a letter outlining rumors about Carolyn’s active social life and relationships early in their dating history. He abruptly ended their relationship after reading it, and Carolyn didn’t accept his apologies for over a year, as detailed in her book. They had dated during the summer of 1992.

Read More

2026-02-25 22:18