Throughout much of the 90s,John F. Kennedy Jr.had the nation in a chokehold with his good looks, charm and aura. The plane crash that resulted in his untimely death, alongside hiswife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, sent waves of shock across the world,
Fast forward 25 years, and the latest actor to embody the Kennedy scion in a TV series has become the internet's latest obsession.
Paul Anthony Kelly, 37, a model-turned-actor, who plays JFK Jr. inFX's "Love Story: John F. Kennedy, Jr. & Carolyn Bessette",became an "internet boyfriend" shortly after theseries premiered with three episodeson Thursday, Feb. 12.
Little is known about Kelly, who hails from the small town of Port McNicoll in Ontario, Canada. The actor toldInterview Magazineduring hisfirst-ever interviewthat he "got scouted for modeling" when he moved to Toronto. From there, he went to New York.
Kelly said he modelled for a long time but also "really wanted to start acting." He added he's been auditioning for roles for about a decade, landing a spot in a show called "The Venery of Samantha Bird," which was supposed to be his "foot in the door." Although the project "never saw the light of day," that did not stop him from auditioning for "Love Story," where he eventually landed the role.
FX's "
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette" (Thursdays, 9 ET/PT on FX and streaming on Hulu) depicts the romance of the pair, who tragically died in a plane crash in 1999. Let's take a closer look at the actors and the real-life people they're portraying." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Paul Anthony Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr.Model turned actor Paul Anthony Kelly told USA TODAY that some days it took three hours to get into character. "It would be an extra two hours for coverup (of his tattoos) and then an hour for hair and makeup," Kelly said. That perfectly coiffed Kennedy hairdo was achieved with "a little bit of water and a hairdryer and a lot of brush work."" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette Sarah Pidgeon, a natural brunette, estimates she spent 22 hours in the hair salon over two days to lighten her locks within the realm of Bessette-blond. The stories written about the couple and Bessette in particular were "so misogynistic," Pidgeon tells USA TODAY. "There was this narrative that they wanted to stick to, generally, and this characterization of her that I've just found couldn't be further from the woman that I came to know."" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Naomi Watts as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Naomi Watts told "Entertainment Tonight" the production "did a bunch of tests" to find the right look, "because I really look nothing like her," the actress admitted. "The coloring is all wrong, and she has a different nose, and we certainly played around with prosthetics. And then we weren't improving. We were just making me look more different. So we sort of scrapped it." Watts donned a wig for the role, brown contact lenses and makeup to close the age gap." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Dree Hemingway as Daryl Hannah Dree Hemingway, the great-granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway, portrays "Splash" star Daryl Hannah in the limited series. In real life, JFK Jr. and Hannah had an on and off relationship for years, but broke up for good in 1994, according to reports." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy
Grace Gummer, daughter of Meryl Streep and sculptor Don Gummer, plays Caroline Kennedy, John Jr.'s older sister, born three years before his arrival. After Caroline's father's assassination in 1963, her mother's death following a cancer diagnosis in 1994, and John Jr.'s death in 1999, Caroline is the only surviving member of their immediate family." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Ben Shenkman as Edwin Schlossberg
Ben Shenkman ("Royal Pains," "Billions") plays Caroline Kennedy's husband Edwin Schlossberg. The couple wed in 1986 and had three children, Rose (1988), Tatiana (1990), and Jack (1993). Tatiana died of acute myeloid leukemia in December 2025." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Alessandro Nivola as Calvin Klein
Alessandro Nivola portrays American fashion designer Calvin Klein, whose eponymous label was where Carolyn Bessette worked and where she met John F. Kennedy Jr." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Noah Fearnley as Michael Bergin
Michael Bergin, a Calvin Klein model who acted on "Baywatch," engaged in "a casual romance" with Carolyn Bessette in 1992, Elizabeth Beller writes in "Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy," upon which FX's limited series is based. "A former hotel doorman at the Paramount, Bergin would later, in a tell-all book, 'The Other Man,' claim he was sexually involved with Carolyn from the fall of '92 until her death.
"There's no doubt Carolyn befriended Bergin, and, true to form, helped him with his career," Beller continues. "Carolyn and Michael had an on-off relationship, much more off than on. His later account of it is considered questionable by many of Carolyn's friends."" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
'Love Story' cast photos compared to real-life people including JFK Jr., Carolyn Bessette
FX's "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette" (Thursdays, 9 ET/PT on FX and streaming on Hulu) depicts the romance of the pair, who tragically died in a plane crash in 1999. Let's take a closer look at the actors and the real-life people they're portraying.
'Just look at him,' actress Sarah Pidgeon says
Sarah Pidgeon, who plays Bessette-Kennedy, said Kelly's casting "felt so right" during anofficial podcast for the show.
"I mean, just look at him," Pidgeon said on the podcast. "Like, just look at him. He looks so much like JFK Jr."
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Review:JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette 'Love Story' is almost perfect
Kelly acknowledges the weight that comes with playing the beloved Kennedy Jr.
"My whole intention of telling this dramatic retelling of their story was just to come in with the utmost integrity, truth, honesty, and care," Kelly told USA TODAY atthe series' Feb. 3 premiere held at Carnegie Hall.
Meanwhile, on how that perfectly coiffed Kennedy hairdo was achieved, Kelly revealed it was "a blowout every day, just a little bit of water and a hairdryer and a lot of brush work."
Who is Paul Anthony Kelly's wife?
Kelly currently resides in Portland, Oregon, with his wife, Syd Widziszewski-Kelly, and their dog,Malcolm. The couple celebrated their first wedding anniversary in May 2024,according to an Instagram postby Kelly. The actor, in his interview with Interview Magazine, also revealed that the couple was expecting their first child together. However, additional details about the baby and the birth are not known.
See Paul Anthony Kelly's style in pictures
'Insane face card'
While the role is Kelly's "first go as an actor," he has already cemented his place as a Hollywood heartthrob, and the internet cannot get enough of him. See users' reactions below:
Paul Anthony Kelly as 'Batman'?
Kelly is not only making hearts flutter; he has also emerged as a dream Batman casting for one ofDC Universe'smost anticipated projects, "The Brave and the Bold." Social media users are drawing parallels between Batman's true identity, Bruce Wayne, and Kelly and have been consistently tagging DC Studios co-chairman and CEO James Gunn to let him know their choice. Little is known about the upcoming film, except that it will focus on a father-son story revolving around Wayne and Damian Wayne, who takes on the Robin mantle. Casting for the project has not yet been announced.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:The internet is obsessing over Paul Kelly Anthony, who plays JFK Jr.
Throughout much of the 90s,John F. Kennedy Jr.had the nation in a chokehold with his good looks, charm and aura. The pla...
