Who should play Carolyn Bessette Kennedy in ‘American Love Story’?

I totally forgot that this was announced three years ago, but LaineyGossip pointed out that there’s a big update. In 2021, Ryan Murphy announced a new project which would go alongside his “American Story” anthologies – American Crime Story, American Horror Story, etc – and the new one would be American Love Story. Murphy wanted the first American Love Story to be John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. We hadn’t heard much of anything about it, and then Variety had this update:

The “American Story” franchise at FX is still expanding. Executive producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson, who have been working with Ryan Murphy since “American Crime Story” premiered in 2016 (and served as executive producers on “Pose”), confirmed that “American Love Story,” which recounts the story of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, will be moving forward at FX.

“We’re very much intending to [tell that story],” Jacobson told Variety during a recent interview.

“We have great scripts on that. We’re trying to figure out when it’ll land,” Simpson added. “It is a story that really resonates right now. It’s amazing. A lot of younger women are looking to her as sort of a representational icon of a certain period of time that’s really fascinating, and hopefully, we’ll be able to bring that to the screen soon.”

The new series was initially announced in 2021, along with “Studio 54: American Crime Story,” a potential fourth installment of “ACS” following “People vs. OJ Simpson,” “The Assassination of Gianni Versace” and “Impeachment.” However, there’s no update on “Studio 54” — and it doesn’t sound likely.

[From Variety]

Sidenote: it’s funny to me that Ryan waited long enough that his good friend Gwyneth Paltrow has aged out of playing Carolyn. God knows, Gwyneth did the most to imitate Carolyn Bessette back in the day. To be fair, a lot of women did and a lot of women still do. Carolyn was a style icon and the closest thing Americans have to a “princess.” But Gwyneth’s copykeening was next-level, truly.

So, let’s dreamcast! LaineyGossip’s suggestions were Callum Turner for John-John and Vanessa Kirby or Anya Taylor-Joy for Carolyn. I’ll admit, I see the vision with Anya-as-Carolyn and I absolutely think Anya could pull off Carolyn’s je ne sais quoi. The internet is dreamcasting Elizabeth Debicki and Jacob Elordi… and I hate that. Debicki has Carolyn’s lithe, blonde physicality, but it’s too much after Debicki played Princess Diana. Elordi would also be awful as John. Weirdly, I feel like John is probably going to be easy to cast, even though no modern actor will be able to do it. They’ll probably just get some handsome dark-haired guy. I would be happy with Morgan Spector, actually? But the Carolyn casting will lead to some MAJOR fights.

I’d just like to throw a few more names out there for Carolyn: Saoirse Ronan, Elle Fanning and Haley Bennett. I think Elle and Saoirse would both nail it, and while Haley doesn’t strictly look like Carolyn, I just think she’s a good enough actress to pull it off. And if acting doesn’t matter, I actually think Hailey Bieber could do it. My other controversial opinion is that I do think the casting should be limited to American actors as well. I don’t want to see John portrayed by a guy trying to hide his posh British accent.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, John Harrington / Avalon, Look Press Agency/Look Press / Avalon..

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

111 Responses to “Who should play Carolyn Bessette Kennedy in ‘American Love Story’?”

  1. Erin says:

    Sophie Turner?

  2. Anonymous says:

    Gabriella Wilde

    • BayTampaBay says:

      My vote goes to Anya Taylor-Joy.

      She was excellent in the The Miniaturist playing a different version of this type of character.

      • Agnes says:

        I love her, but think she has too much personality to play a cipher like Bessette. Plus she has brown eyes, even though she has The Hair. I do think Sophie Turner would do a great job, not just in terms of physical resemblance but in her “aura.”

  3. Lolo86lf says:

    Maybe Ansel Elgort can play John John?

  4. NJGR says:

    I hate stuff like this. Especially when someone still has a lot of friends and family still alive, I can’t really really think of many good reasons for turning their life (and death) into entertainment.

    • Lolo86lf says:

      I basically agree with you, but I it looks like it’s going to be a nice love story done tastefully. It’s all going to be good. No one will be slandered or ridiculed (I hope).

      • Eurydice says:

        It depends on which story they’re going to use – the one where the only problem was the paparazzi, or the one where she was miserably unhappy, contemplating divorce, feuding with Caroline and doing a lot of cocaine, or any of the other ones in between.

      • Megan says:

        John was selfish a-hole and the relationship was incredibly rocky. Not a great American love story of any kind.

      • Emcee3 says:

        @Eurydice: I don’t trust Ryan Murphy. I expect him to tip the story toward the scenario you presented after “or the one where she…”

    • Agnes says:

      I agree, it’s gross, but “that’s entertainment!” Plus, neither of them actually did anything except exude glamour.

    • orangeowl18 says:

      Same. There was a Carolyn-John move that I remember being so horrible. Just overwrought performances and salacious gossip, really.

    • lucy2 says:

      I agree, I feel for the families when stuff like this comes up. The Kennedys are as used to it as one can be, always in the public eye and lots of tragedy. The Bessette family were just regular people, from what I remember, and lost 2 daughters. I can’t imagine any of them are comfortable with this.

  5. seaflower says:

    I think Saoirse would be good. I would find Anya too distracting.

  6. Jo says:

    I thought Sophie Turner, if they wanted to capture her look perfectly.

  7. Chaine says:

    Isn’t Emma Roberts one of Murphy’s muses? She is the right age to play Caroline and if he wants he character to go in the bitchy direction, Emma would have to problem pulling it off! But if I was dream casting I would go with Saoirse Ronan as she has the exact right look, the coloring and the distant gaze of the blue eyes…. Swoon

    • Cali says:

      One of the things I remember about Caroline is how statuesque she was. She was a cipher but she seemed to express herself with her physicality and of course her iconic style. Emma is teeny tiny. I don’t think it would work.
      Saiorse is an excellent actress and I can see her being able to express Caroline without a lot of dialogue.
      John was very handsome and not particularly bright. We’ve just seen Elordi in a role like that but Callum Turner is an interesting choice.

      • Chaine says:

        I didn’t realize how short Emma is… it looks like she is 5-2 and the actual Caroline Bessette was 5-9.

  8. Ale says:

    Hunter Schafer for me

  9. Lux says:

    My votes: Julia Garner, Hunter Schafer or Lucy Boyton. I always thought the actress Annabelle Wallis looks exactly like CBK, but she is probably too old to be considered now.

  10. Jais says:

    Yeah, no to Debicki. I like her a lot as an actress but I actually didn’t love her as Diana? Other than that idk? I just feel like any actress will still pale to the actual Carolyn so it’s hard to imagine. Oh, just saw @ale above about Hunter Schaffer and yeah that actually works.

  11. girl_ninja says:

    I’m going to throw in Amanda Seyfried and David Corenswet (new Superman) would be solid choices as Carolyn and John. Very good actors who have a nice presence.

  12. Kateee says:

    I get a Maya Hawke energy here, based on all the updated stories about how Carolyn was very independent, fiery, sometimes messy. I think Maya could pull that off if she aged herself up a bit; she tends to read younger still.

  13. Digital Unicorn says:

    Any young Henry Cavill type can pull of John Jr, she’s a bit more tricky but a younger Uma Thurman would have been perfect!!

  14. Jegede says:

    The actress who played Carole, Ross Geller’s wife in Friends – Jane Sibbet – has always looked like her IMO.

  15. Flamingo says:

    I wouldn’t mind if they went with an up-and-coming model with a lot of acting lessons. I just hope they don’t cast a short actress. Part of what made Carolyn so majestic is her long lean body. She was 5’9 I am also, so I am bias in that area.

    I was obsessed with her look and tried to have the thin eyebrows. Also, to me, she was the first famous women to influence a minimalist or capsule looks. Her slip wedding dress was revolutionary for its time. As my old brain recalls.

    Don’t F this one up Ryan.

  16. Sara says:

    Amanda Seyfried!!!

  17. MaisiesMom says:

    I also would much prefer American actors to play these characters. John and Carolyn both. I would make an exception for Saoirse because she’s that good and played Jo March, an iconic American figure, so well. But Amanda Seyfried or ATJ would be my choice. Sophie Turner has the look and I do like her but she’s not as strong an actress as the others mentioned. Elle Fanning still seems so young to me, though I do love her.

    I love Morgan Specter! He does have the look for John but is he the right age? I actually have no idea how old he is. I think he played the father in “The Plot Against America” but that character might have only been in his mid-30s. He’s someone who can play older than he is probably.

    No to Jacob Elordi.

  18. chatter says:

    I’d prefer to see an original idea instead of these projects.
    JFK, Jr and CBK were constantly hyped, papped, followed.

    Enough tv shows and books about The Kennedy family, Charles and Diana.
    Also, rehashing OJ, the Menedez brothers, Bundy, Dahlmer, Manson.

  19. Sue says:

    Not Blake Lively.

  20. paintybox says:

    Can Jessica Chastain still believably play someone around 30? I think she could evoke CBK with the right hair and makeup.

  21. Murphy says:

    Jessica Masden.

    (Cressida Cowper from Bridgerton)

  22. Kate says:

    Vanessa Kirby or Amanda Seyfried.

  23. MsIam says:

    I vote for Gaga. She would probably have to reign it in though. Not sure who could play John.

    • Aurora says:

      Physically, Maya Hawke has the range to make Carolyn look interesting beyond looks, if only she could let go of her quirky teen schtick. Saorsie Ronan, Elle or Dakota Fanning could also play her convincingly. Dakota doesn’t seem to care as much about fashion or deportment. Sadly, Carolyn’s style is one of the main reasons she’s still remembered.
      I drool over Morgan Spector bc he’s totally my type. But imo he’s a bit old for the role and carries himself in a much more mature way than John II.

  24. Carrie says:

    Hailey Bieber would be the closest in terms of looks but probably does not have the acting chops?
    Saorise Ronan for the win.

  25. girl_ninja says:

    I want to submit Samara Weaving for Carolyn casting consideration as well. I’m staying with David Corenswet as John.

  26. maisie says:

    Austin Butler would actually be a good choice IMO.

  27. Nanananabobana says:

    Theo James for JFK Jr.

  28. Julie says:

    Elizabeth Debicki.

  29. VilleRose says:

    There are some great suggestions here but my vote goes to Julia Garner. I want an American actor to play her, not a non-American one (sorry to Anya Taylor Joy or Saoirse Ronan!). I wouldn’t mind Amanda Seyfried as well.

    JFK Jr, not sure!

  30. Mrs. Smith says:

    Saoirse definitely has the presence and edge to play CBK. But this will be a tv series, right? I also like Vanessa Kirby.

    Lord I hope they don’t cast Kennedy in-law Chris Pratt as JFK! Also no to Jacob Elordi. Maybe JAW or Josh Jackson? Matt Bomer?

  31. Yuiop says:

    Samara Weaving & Penn Badgley

  32. Lola says:

    I can see Emma Corrin for Carolyn, Chalamet seems like an easy pick for Jr

  33. Dandelion2 says:

    Jodie Comer, from Killing Eve.

  34. February Pisces says:

    I’m just gonna throw Sarah gadon into the mix. None of the other actresses look anything like her.

  35. Em says:

    I would genuinely love to see a relatively unknown actress play her. Fresh talent and a fresh face.

    Watching a mega-famous actress, whose face we’re all familiar with, play her would be less interesting.

  36. Normades says:

    These are all A list in demand actors, none would touch this project. I have no ideas but y’all have to think way younger and up in coming.

  37. Aurora says:

    I wonder if they’ll go into the fact that (according to multiple friends of John and her ex-boyfriend) she physically and emotionally abused John for years? Will they detail her adultery? Her cocaine addiction?

    I’m sorry, but it annoys me when Hollywood tries to romanticize toxic relationships. By all accounts, he loved her, but it was a miserable relationship. And if it happened today, I think her abuse would be recognized as such. Back in the 90s, a lot of people scoffed at the idea that men could be battered spouses.

    • girl_ninja says:

      Nah. That didn’t happen.

    • Isabella says:

      So much misogyny in that story. Completely anonymously sourced, told primarily from JFK Jr.’s side. Carolyn is dead with no one to defend her and Klein just revels in that. Carolyn comes across completely differently in her sister-in-law’s memoir, What Remains. Nicely written and worth the read.

      Boy, would I hate to be described through my ex-boyfriends.

      • Normades says:

        Whoa. That article was…a lot. But I agree with Isabella that it’s a one sided hit piece

      • kif says:

        Of course Carolyn would be nice to her sister-in-law. She was a Radziwill. By all accounts by civilians (non-rich & non-celebrity) who encountered her, Carolyn was stuck-up, supercilious, haughty and condescending to people who she thought beneath her and cannot do anything to advance her interests. Naturally, Klein would like her since he was her boss. I have older relatives who had personal encounters with her and they were not nice encounters. She is only nice to a certain set of people in society. I am very sure, there are other people in this comment section who can attest to it too.

        JFK Jr. was shallow, dim and entitled. In a way, they deserved one another. What they don’t deserve is getting to be used for entertainment. They were very flawed people and should just be let at rest.

      • BeanieBean says:

        Carole Radziwill was not CBK’s sister-in-law–that would have been Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg (sp?). Radziwill was married to the son of Jackie O’s sister, Lee, who was therefore a cousin of JFK Jr’s.

      • kif says:

        My mistake, the author of the book is a cousin-in-law. Not sister in law. Carole wrote the memoir, ‘What Remains’ that naturally had a rose-colored lens look at JFK Jr., Carolyn and her husband, Anthony Radziwill (son of Lee).

  38. Jules says:

    Rooney Mara or Jodie Comer!

  39. Brynne says:

    I shudder at Ryan Murphy taking on this story. I agree with Aurora that there’s too much romanticizing of toxic relationships (one reason I couldn’t get on board with It Ends With Us).

    Saorsie Ronan would do the best job but she’s too A list for something like this (thank god cuz I don’t want her to lose her eyebrows). Sophie Turner is my pick. She’s the right level of celebrity for the role and it would be a great boost for her career.

  40. Ladiabla says:

    I think JFK Jr will be very difficult to cast. He was the handsomest man ever (at least to me). I still have my JFK Jr coffee table book. Never cared much for Carolyn Bessette, and to me, she was never some icon of style. She had a very classic style and good taste, that was it. I love Anya but don’t see her in this project. Saoirse’s also too good for this.

    • PinkOrchid says:

      CBK certainly has become a style icon in the past decade. I would agree that she was not necessarily so back then, and nobody I knew found her conventionally “pretty,” but she was always intriguing. Not sure I would say Goop copied her; I think they were contemporaries. Surely the neutrals and classics Carolyn wore, along with her extreme thinness, have been repeated and elevated since by the likes of Angelina Jolie and Duchess Meghan, though. Great looks!

  41. Ann says:

    I second and third Maya Hawke!

  42. Jane Wilson says:

    Saoirse Ronan.
    Perfection.

  43. AC says:

    “I do think the casting should be limited to American actors. I don’t want to see John portrayed by a guy trying to hide his posh British accent”

    @kaiser 1000% yes! I’ve been thinking about this for years. I love having a diversity of the cast but even better when it gives a bit more authenticity to the role. That’s the reason why we have great and better chemistry with the cast of many streaming series today, Outer Banks, Heartstopper, TSITP, Emily in Paris.
    The studios finally are noticing it too!!
    With that said, I still remembered when Carolyn and John were the IT couple. She really really exudes class.

  44. Lau says:

    I don’t really trust Ryan Murphy when it comes to casting anymore. Evan Peters as Dahmer was bad casting, the entire cast of the Menendez brothers show is also all over the place and he just cast Charlie Hunnam Ed Gein. Ryan Murphy, please hire a casting director.

  45. Northernlala says:

    My vote goes to Sophie Turner!

  46. SamuelWhiskers says:

    I don’t know who Carolyn Kennedy is/was (except that she was married to a president’s son) but I went down a google wormhole and it seems they had a very contentious and abusive relationship. I don’t know how a series could accurately represent reality, while also being respectful to the fact two people died young.

  47. Mina_Esq says:

    If Cameron Diaz were 10 years younger, she would be great.

    • Cairidh says:

      She was my first thought too. Then I remembered the film with the Olsen twins and kirstie alley where there is a bitchy blonde engaged to their father. The actress who played her looked like Carolyn and the character was similar to how she’s described by people who didn’t like her (no idea if that was true or not). I just looked it up, and it was the same actress who played Carol in friends, so, she’s already been mentioned, and is too old.

  48. Eva says:

    I’ve seen so many photos of Carolyn, but never heard her voice. I don’t think she ever gave a single interview, even to a magazine. Almost everything the public knew about her was gossip or speculation. Was she distant and dreamy, like her photos often suggested? And she could have sounded like a young Kathleen Turner or like Mindy Kaling. I’m more interested than I want to be- Ryan Murphy puts out a new show about twice a week and I wish he’d take a vacation.

    I think someone who can capture her mysterious aura is essential. For that, I also think Hailey Beiber would be good- I don’t have any idea what she’s like and think she’s just generally overhyped and not the great beauty she’s made out to be but I’m still curious about her for some reason. Hunter Schaeffer too- she’s physically similar, and is a really good actress.

  49. Normades says:

    Out of all these suggestions Hunter gets my vote. Carolyn was the total opposite of a pick me girl which is why she snagged JFK jr who had women throwing themselves at him. Hunter has that coolness, the it girl quality without the eagerness.

  50. chatter says:

    JFK jr. was a stunning looking man.
    He got the best of both his parents looks.
    Tall, dark and handsome. He looks born to wear a classic tux.

    I wonder how much of the original Kennedy wealth there still is for the younger generations?
    So many descendants of Bobby & Ethel, must be a large number of grandchildren now.

    I wonder who inherited JFK Jr.s estate?
    Did everything go to Caroline and her children?
    All that wealth but generations of tragedy.

  51. Jenn says:

    Margaret Qualley has an enigmatic smile and those watery “sanpaku eyes” the kids are obsessed with

  52. Emily says:

    I also thought Saoirse Ronan would be perfect.

Commenting Guidelines

Read the article before commenting.

We aim to be a friendly, welcoming site where people can discuss entertainment stories and current events in a lighthearted, safe environment without fear of harassment, excessive negativity, or bullying. Different opinions, backgrounds, ages, and nationalities are welcome here - hatred and bigotry are not. If you make racist or bigoted remarks, comment under multiple names, or wish death on anyone you will be banned. There are no second chances if you violate one of these basic rules.

By commenting you agree to our comment policy and our privacy policy

Do not engage with trolls, contrarians or rude people. Comment "troll" and we will see it.

Please e-mail the moderators at cbcomments at gmail.com to delete a comment if it's offensive or spam. If your comment disappears, it may have been eaten by the spam filter. Please email us to get it retrieved.

You can sign up to get an image next to your name at Gravatar.com Thank you!

Leave a comment after you have read the article

Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment