Annette Bening reflects on her fictionalized Love Story portrayal. [Image Source: YIMG]
Annette Bening recently addressed the portrayal of her character in the debut episode of FX’s series Love Story, setting the record straight about a scene involving a movie premiere styling. The show, which dramatizes the romance between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, features a moment where a young Annette Bening is styled by Carolyn for a premiere of the film Bugsy—an incident the actress confirms never occurred.
Clarifying the Premiere Scene in Love Story
In the opening episode of Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, the character Carolyn, played by Sarah Pidgeon, is shown dressing a renowned actress for an upcoming movie premiere. This scene highlights Carolyn’s impressive talents as she gains recognition from Calvin Klein, portrayed by Alessandro Nivola. The actress referenced as Annette and the premiere of Bugsy led viewers to assume the event was based on the real-life actress Annette Bening, who starred in that 1991 film.
However, Bening quickly dispelled these assumptions during an interview on Good Morning America. After multiple people pointed out the scene to her, she watched it and said,
“a number of people mentioned it to me,”
Annette Bening explained. She added,
“felt very flattered by the actress, I thought she was wonderful — it didn’t happen in real life,”
making it clear that the depiction is a fictionalized moment rather than historical fact.
The show’s host, Robin Roberts, appeared surprised by this revelation, to which Bening responded,
Image of: Annette Bening
“I met Carolyn Bessette once at Calvin Klein, but no, it didn’t happen that way.”
Annette Bening Reflects on Her Portrayal and Timeline
Although Bening denied the scene’s authenticity, she expressed appreciation for the depiction of her character in the series. Speaking about the timing behind the fictionalized premiere, she pointed out a clear factual discrepancy:
“In fact, it was supposed to be the premiere of Bugsy, and I was nine months pregnant, so I know for sure that wasn’t me at that point,”
referring to her pregnancy with her eldest child, Stephen, born just a month after the premiere in January 1992. This further confirms that the scene was a creative addition rather than a reenactment of reality.
Balancing Truth and Fiction in the Series
Love Story’s creator, Connor Hines, shared insights on crafting the series while maintaining respect for the true story behind JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s relationship. Speaking to PEOPLE, Hines described their extensive research process to honor the couple’s legacy. He said,
“We researched extensively, we read everything under the sun and we made sure that everything had an essence of truth and nothing felt like an aberration from their real story.”
Hines acknowledged that some adjustments were necessary for a coherent television narrative, saying,
“Obviously, things sometimes have to be adjusted because you are crafting a narrative for television. So, there’s a structure, there are timelines, you have a certain amount of episodes, but everything we did felt [that] we were honoring their actual legacy.”
He further emphasized the care taken to avoid misrepresenting the figures, stating,
“Nothing felt like a betrayal, and by no means a fabrication, that would have done a disservice to either of them, regardless of how it might necessarily have to be warped for the story for TV.”
Series Context and Cast Highlights
Based on Elizabeth Beller’s book, Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Love Story explores the dynamic romance and high-profile marriage of one of the 20th century’s most iconic couples. The show follows John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn’s relationship from their first meeting in 1992, through their secret wedding in 1996, up to their tragic deaths in a plane crash three years later.
The series features a strong ensemble cast including Paul Anthony Kelly as JFK Jr., Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette, Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy, Leila George as Kelly Klein, Sydney Lemmon as Lauren Bessette, Alessandro Nivola as Calvin Klein, and Constance Zimmer portraying Ann Marie Messina.
New episodes air weekly on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on FX, with streaming available the next day on Hulu.
