Newcomer Paul Kelly Bears Uncanny Resemblance to JFK Jr. in First Look from American Love Story

Published: June 13, 2025

Brand new photos of Paul Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr. and Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette have made the casting director's decisions crystal clear. The camera test photos, which were shared by producer Ryan Murphy on June 13, feature some of the couple's '90s fashion, such as JFK Jr.'s ability to pull off both a three-piece suit and a casual open vest-pageboy cap combo, and Bessette's propensity for sleek leather looks.

American Love Story will focus on the whirlwind romance between JFK Jr. - son of President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jackie Kennedy - and Bessette, a fashion publicist. The couple first met in 1992 when Bessette was working for Calvin Klein and was assigned the task of giving Kennedy a private tour and fitting.

After a two-year courtship, the couple married in September 1996 in a private ceremony on Cumberland Island, Ga., with a few members of the famous Kennedy family in attendance. On July 16, 1999, Kennedy and Bessette died in a plane crash when JFK Jr. was flying his wife and her sister, Lauren, from New Jersey en route to Martha's Vineyard.

In addition to Kelly and Pidgeon, American Love Story will star Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy, Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy, Sydney Lemmon as Lauren Bessette, and Alessandro Nivola as Calvin Klein.

The search for an actor who could embody JFK Jr. - a national heartthrob and frequent '90s cover boy - was reportedly a difficult one, and the casting team ultimately decided to go with a relative Hollywood newcomer to play PEOPLE's 1988 Sexiest Man Alive. Kelly, who has previous experience in theater and modeling, reportedly beat out nearly a thousand actors for the role of the Kennedy heir, and his new test photos reveal why.

Pidgeon is a Tony nominee for her role in the Broadway musical Stereophonic. She also appeared in streaming series The Wilds and Tiny Beautiful Things, and stars in the upcoming sequel of I Know What You Did Last Summer, which premieres on July 18.

American Love Story is the latest in Murphy's American Story anthology series, following American Horror Story, American Crime Story, and American Sports Story. A release date for the series has yet to be announced.