Grace Gummer, known for her work alongside Ryan Murphy, spoke about her portrayal of Caroline Kennedy in the FX limited series Love Story, which premiered recently. The show focuses on the relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, highlighting Gummer’s role as the poised sister amid an intense public spotlight. As the series gained global attention, Gummer was asked about how she might respond if Murphy created a TV show about her mother, the acclaimed actress Meryl Streep, linking her perspective to the broader fascination with the Kennedy family.
Controversy Surrounding the Series’ Portrayal of the Kennedy Family
While Love Story continues to attract viewers and critics, it has also sparked backlash from the Kennedy family. Jack Schlossberg, JFK Jr.’s nephew and son of Caroline Kennedy, publicly criticized Ryan Murphy for profiting from their family’s private history during a recent CBS Sunday Morning interview. Schlossberg argued that Murphy lacks genuine knowledge of their personal lives and called the series a “grotesque display” that exploits tragedy for financial gain.
Schlossberg further appealed to Murphy to donate some of the profits to causes championed by JFK Jr. or the JFK Library, lamenting that this is not a documentary but rather a dramatized production. The series includes portrayals of Schlossberg’s parents, with Ben Shenkman playing Edwin Schlossberg and Gummer as Caroline Kennedy, emphasizing the tension between public narrative and family truth.
Grace Gummer Reflects on Public Fascination with the Kennedys
In her interview with Elle, Gummer acknowledged the enduring public intrigue surrounding the Kennedys, recognizing that the family’s story carries a certain mythos in American history. She contrasted the Kennedy family’s visibility with her own upbringing, which she described as much more private, expressing doubt that a series about Meryl Streep would ever be made. Still, she noted the universal appeal of tragic love stories in connecting with audiences, suggesting they fulfill a current cultural need.
“I just don’t know if that would happen, right?! Because my upbringing was nowhere near public,”
Gummer said.
“The thing about the Kennedys is there’s always been this lore about them, this mist in the American era that is so intriguing and will constantly be huge on the public stage,”
she added.
“People are always fascinated with them. And no one is immune to an ill-fated love story. I think we really, really need that right now.”
Criticism from Actress Daryl Hannah Over Her Portrayal
The series also faced direct criticism from Daryl Hannah, who is depicted in the show as a former long-time partner of JFK Jr. In a revealing essay for The New York Times, Hannah insisted that the character based on her was highly inaccurate and misrepresented her personality and her history with JFK Jr. She condemned the depiction as “irritating, self-absorbed, whiny, and inappropriate,” stating these choices were deliberate and false.
“The character ‘Daryl Hannah’ portrayed in the series is not even a remotely accurate representation of my life, my conduct or my relationship with John. The actions and behaviors attributed to me are untrue,”
Hannah wrote.
“I have long believed that engaging with distortion often amplifies it. But a recent tragedy-exploiting television series about John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette features a character using my name and presents her as me. The choice to present her as irritating, self-absorbed, whiny and inappropriate was no accident.”
“It’s appalling to me that I even have to defend myself against a television show. These are not creative embellishments of personality. They are assertions about conduct — and they are false.”
Ongoing Discussions and Future Episodes
Love Story has ignited intense discussion regarding the boundaries between historical drama and personal legacy, highlighting challenges in telling real-life stories for television. The multi-layered responses from the Kennedy family and individuals portrayed demonstrate the tension between artistic interpretation and private experiences. New episodes air weekly on FX and subsequently on Hulu, continuing to capture public attention.
