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This is not a drill: Ryan Murphy just released glimpses of who is playing Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy for his upcoming anthology, and there’s a lot to unpack here, including the transformation the actress had to go through, who else played Bessette, and more.
Murphy shared photos from the upcoming series, as well as a camera test for the actors. He posted the video with the caption reading, LOVE STORY premieres Valentine’s Day week 2026 on FX • Stream on Hulu .”
He also listed who’s playing who, saying, “Paul Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr, Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette, Alessandro Nivola as Calvin Klein, Leila George as Kelly Klein, Sydney Lemmon as Lauren Bessette, and Noah Fearnley as Michael Bergin.”
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Now, this marks the first look we’ve seen of the upcoming series, and the first look of Pidgeon as Bessette.
Pidgeon is an actor who has worked on film, television, and Broadway. Most famously, she’s starring in the upcoming I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot, as well as playing Leah Rike in The Wilds and young Clare Pierce in Tiny Beautiful Things.
Per Variety, Murphy first cast her in March 2025, and she had to undergo a major transformation since she has naturally super-dark brown hair.
Sarah Pidgeon
Manoli Figetakis/Everett Collection
While many are excited for the new anthology series from Murphy, many had issues with the costumes on Pidgeon. In the camera test, we see that she starts by wearing an all black outfit with kitten heels, capri pants, a Birkin, and a tan trench coat. The second outfit is of her in blue jeans, black strappy heels, a white button-down, and a dark headband. The third outfit is of her in a white turtleneck and a black leather jacket, showing her hair down and hair up with red lipstick.
Bessette is still known today for her elegant and timeless wardrobe. But to recreate her looks, you have to be quite accurate. Per MSN, friends said Carolyn Bessette adored vintage clothing, opting for “Levi’s to Louis Vuitton,” and she allegedly scoured all the thrift stores for the perfect looks. Along with that, per DailyMail, Carolyn Bessette often went to C.O. Bigelow, the oldest apothecary, where she would buy hair accessories and more. She would avoid using things with name brands on it, because she wanted to keep that classic look.
So with a budget that Murphy has, our fingers are crossed that they keep the fashion accurate!
Fun fact: only two other actresses have played Bessette on screen. The first was Portia de Rossi in the 2003 TV movie America’s Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story.
AMERICA’S PRINCE: THE JOHN F. KENNEDY JR. STORY, Portia de Rossi
©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
The second was Erica Cox in the 2017 historical drama miniseries The Kennedys: After Camelot.
THE KENNEDYS AFTER CAMELOT, Brett Donahue (as John F. Kennedy Jr.), Erica Cox (as Carolyn Bessette).
©Reelz Channel/Courtesy Everett Collection
And now Pidgeon!
Before you go, click here to see the best movie & TV transformations into well-known women.
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