Paul Anthony Kelly Listened to JFK Jr.’s Narration of President Kennedy's Book Every Day Before Filming “Love Story” (Exclusive)
- - Paul Anthony Kelly Listened to JFK Jr.’s Narration of President Kennedy's Book Every Day Before Filming “Love Story” (Exclusive)
Julia MooreFebruary 13, 2026 at 7:00 AM
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In FX's Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, Paul Anthony Kelly makes his debut as JFK Jr.
The Canadian actor, 37, tells PEOPLE how he prepared to play one of America's most beloved figures — and the resources he relied on to nail his portrayal, including JFK Jr.'s narration of his father's 1956 book, Profiles in Courage
"I would listen to that every day before getting to set," Kelly says of the audiobook
Paul Anthony Kelly was not short on resources as he prepared to play John F. Kennedy Jr.
In the new FX series Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, Kelly, 37, makes his screen debut as America's beloved bachelor — alongside Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn — and while he didn't get much lead-time between when he was cast and when production started in New York, the Canadian actor immersed himself fully in JFK Jr.'s world.
"I really had to tighten up my bootstraps and do deep dives, learn everything I could," Kelly tells PEOPLE about preparing for the role. "Luckily, with John, there's a wealth of information. He's a very well-documented individual, so I was able to consistently go back and rely, review, interpret that information."
Getting JFK Jr.'s "vocals down" was one of Kelly's biggest priorities. "He narrates his father's book, Profiles in Courage, so I would listen to that every day before getting to set," he reveals. "I'd do my little breathing exercises and then put that on and do a little hear and repeat."
"I'm very, very fortunate in that," he says.
Paul Anthony Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr. on set of "Love Story" (left): JFK Jr. in New York City (right)
Eric Liebowitz/FX; Mitchell Gerber/Corbis/VCG via Getty
It wasn't just a daily audiobook routine that prepared Kelly to inhabit the shoes of PEOPLE's 1988 Sexiest Man Alive. "The whole prep process was very full-on from the moment I was cast," the actor says. "There wasn't a whole lot of time before we started shooting it. The whole team here really set me up for success."
He had "a dialect coach, acting coach, a physical trainer" and he "got on a meal plan" to ensure he was as prepared as possible for the role. "We were hitting the ground running. I'm so fortunate for that and then grateful for it because it didn't allow me any time to think. Kind of just, 'Okay, we're doing this. Let's go,' " Kelly says.
Still, he's admittedly "nervous for it to come out," but also "so thrilled and excited."
"The whole process of making it was an incredible experience. A wonderful cast, wonderful crew, producers, writers — everything," Kelly continues. "The whole experience was like lightning in a bottle. For this to be my first big production, playing someone so beloved, I mean, it's definitely not lost on me."
Paul Anthony Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr. in "Love Story"
Kurt Iswarienko/FX
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette is inspired by Elizabeth Beller’s book, Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and "explores the undeniable chemistry, whirlwind courtship and high-profile marriage of one of the most iconic couples of the 20th century," per FX.
JFK Jr. met Carolyn in 1992 and then got married in a top-secret ceremony in 1996. The couple died tragically in a plane crash three years later. John, who was 38 at the time, was flying the plane — with both Carolyn, 33, and her sister, Lauren Bessette, 34, as his passengers — when it plunged into the Atlantic Ocean on July 16, 1999. They were on their way to Rory Kennedy's wedding in Cape Cod when they hit a thick fog off the coast of Martha's Vineyard.
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Along with Pidgeon and Kelly, Love Story also stars Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy, Alessandro Nivola as Calvin Klein, Leila George as Kelly Klein, Sydney Lemmon as Lauren Bessette and Constance Zimmer as Ann Marie Messina.
The first three episodes of Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette are now streaming on Hulu. New episodes debut Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on FX and Hulu.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
