Last night, Paramount Studios tried to recreate the atmosphere of New York in the 90s in honor of the release of film "Love Story"« , the final episode of Ryan Murphy's anthology series «"American History", dedicated to the infamous tragic relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.
Murphy himself, making a rare public appearance, moderated the evening's discussion. "I've never done a press interview before, so this is the first thing I've done to promote the show," the six-time Emmy winner told the packed room. "I wanted to tell you that the reason I decided to do this is to say thank you to this incredible cast, who have turned this show into an unexpected cultural sensation, something we never expected when we created it.".
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The series, which Murphy claims has amassed 100 million hours of viewing, turned its stars, Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Anthony Kelly, into cultural icons. Pidgeon, a Tony Award nominee with several acclaimed projects under her belt, was the second choice Murphy and his team auditioned for the role of Carolyn Bessette, and she soon landed the part. However, finding someone to play John F. Kennedy Jr. proved challenging.
«We were really close to starting filming, and I said, „I think we need to move the date because we just don’t have him,“„ Murphy said. “You know, it’s a very difficult role to cast because you have to find someone who looks like this person and can embody a certain energy. So Brad [Simpson, executive producer] and I finally said, „Bring us pictures of everyone who’s ever auditioned for this role,“ and it was one of the greatest moments of my Hollywood career (…) [They] brought us this bunch of pictures, and I was shooting another movie, and Brad and I were going through my stuff, and I came across a picture of Paul, and I swear to God, I was like, »What about this guy? Where is this guy? Did he audition?’ And it turns out he did audition, and then it turns out you’ve been trying to be an actor for 10 years.”.
«"Yes, actually it was 13," Kelly corrected with a laugh.
The chemistry between Kelly and Pidgeon was the deciding factor, and Murphy gave Pidgeon a chance very few actors get. "We pulled Sarah aside, and I said, 'What do you think?' because I wanted Sarah to choose, and Sarah said, 'It's Paul,' and I said, 'Go tell him he got the part.'".
«"I'd never had that kind of responsibility before," Pidgeon shared. "And I think there were about 30 seconds backstage where you were and they were removing your microphone, so I was trying to come up with my plan, you know, how do I break the news? And I think I kind of faked it. I said, 'Oh, Paul… Congratulations!' (…) You told me that Max [Winkler, executive producer] looked at you and said, 'Congratulations, you look like you're zoning out.'".
«"Absolutely," Kelly agreed.
According to Murphy, finding the right casting formula is essential for a successful project. "A very famous person once said that when you do something, you need three things: you need someone new, you need a legend, and you need someone with something to prove, and that's the recipe for success," he said. "That's how we landed our iconic role, played by Miss Naomi Watts.".
Watts, a two-time Oscar nominee, initially didn't see how she could fit Murphy's interpretation of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. "She's arguably the most memorable first lady to date," Watts said. "So we all feel like she's one of us, we know her. She's, I mean, there's a line in the show, 'We grew up in people's homes, in their living rooms,' so they feel a connection to her, so it was a very challenging thing to take on, and I was like, 'Are you sure, Ryan? I'm not even American.' I was like, 'I don't look like her, I definitely don't sound like her, and I'm not inherently American. So does that make sense?' And you were like, 'Yes, Naomi, yes, you can do it.'".
The evening concluded with a screening of the series finale, which explored the aftermath of the plane crash that claimed the lives of Kennedy Jr., Bessette, and her sister. Grace Gummer and Constance Zimmer, who played Caroline Kennedy and Bessette's mother, Anne, respectively, were overcome with emotion as they recalled the filming of their characters' tragic, unexpected reunion.
«"Caroline is essentially an orphan and the only surviving member of her family, and Anne has lost two children, and I think it's unthinkable, just unthinkable," Gummer said tearfully. "But we were able to see each other and feel each other.".
Zimmer was struck by their ability to get through the filming unscathed. "The emotions I felt were unlike anything I'd ever expressed in front of anyone before. (…) Sitting across from Grace, when you have a partner like that, you never know what you're going to experience until you're in that situation, right? And when we were so completely in each other's presence, every emotion, every breath, every line was spoken, and it made everything even more emotional because it felt like we were together, and you were going to feel what I was feeling, and I was going to feel what you were feeling, and we were going to do this over and over again.".
Gummer nodded in agreement, and Zimmer concluded, "I didn't expect to feel this way, because at some point the tears run out, right? But for us, they never ran out. They never ran out.".
The film "Love Story"« is now available to watch on Hulu and Disney+.
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