Ryan Murphy’s ‘American Love Story’ Now Has Its Jackie Kennedy and JFK Jr.—And the Choices May Surprise You

It might be hard to remember now in the cursed age of RFK Jr., but there was a time when Camelot and all that it encompassed loomed so large in the American cultural imagination that it was near-impossible to think of any mere mortal actress portraying Jackie Kennedy onscreen. Granted, several actresses have done just that over the past few decades, including Natalie Portman, Minka Kelly, and Jodi Balfour…but am I an idiot for being somewhat shocked that the performer tapped to bring the famously raven-haired Jackie O. to life in Ryan Murphy’s new American Love Story series is none other than Naomi Watts, a true blonde? Though, I guess hair dye exists! As do wigs! As does creative license!

This, of course, isn’t the first bit of casting news out of the American Love Story universe; The Wilds star Sarah Pidgeon was confirmed to be playing Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy back in March. But now, not only do we know that Watts will play her tragedy-stricken mother-in-law, but that relative newcomer Paul Kelly will take the role of Bessette-Kennedy’s husband. The American Love Story team apparently reviewed auditions from over a thousand actors over the course of six months to find their John F. Kennedy Jr., but clearly, Kelly’s smoldering appeal resonated with them.

While Watts may not look exactly like Jackie Kennedy in her natural state, it’s worth asking: who cares? This is, after all, an actress with two Oscar nominations under her belt, and she’s already shared the screen with Pidgeon in the 2024 film The Friend, so it’s a pretty safe bet that she’ll wow us with her interpretation of arguably the most lore-steeped first lady in American history. (Also, lest we forget: She just played another famous brunette, Babe Paley!) We don’t have a release date yet for American Love Story (although we know it’s likely due out some time this year, if IMDB is to be believed), but it’s safe to say I was seated even before this casting news and remain even more so now.