Who’s That Hunk Playing John F. Kennedy Jr in ‘Love Story’? Get The Lowdown On Hollywood Newcomer Paul Anthony Kelly
When you sit down to watch FX’s latest collab with Ryan Murphy, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr & Carolyn Bessette, you’ll immediately recognize Naomi Watts as Jackie Onassis Kennedy and Sarah Pidgeon — who most recently killed it, literally, in I Know What You Did Last Summer — as JFK Jr’s beguiling bride. One person you might not know off the bat, however, is the other actor who plays the first name on the marquee, aka John F. Kennedy Jr. There’s a reason for that.
In its first three episodes, the historical drama manages to entice and beguile you with the real-life story of Bessette, a fashion publicist at Calvin Klein in the 90s, and the son of John F. Kennedy and Jackie O.
While the show immediately sets up the love between the two characters, it also introduces the world to JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette as individuals, as well as the actors who step in to play these 90s icons. Only one is new to the scene, though.
Here’s everything you need to know about Hollywood’s next big actor, Paul Anthony Kelly, and where he comes from…
Photo: FX
The actor behind the role of John F. Kennedy Jr. in Love Story on FX is Paul Anthony Kelly, a newcomer to Hollywood and acting on screen. In fact, this is Kelly’s first major acting role, entirely.
According to his IMDB page, prior to starting production on this series for FX, Kelly only appeared in two episodes of a show called Body Language in 2010, acting as a model. His next role is slated to be in The Venery of Samantha Bird, playing a character named “Spencer Duffy.”
On Instagram, Kelly — who goes by his married name of Paul Anthony Widziszewski-Kelly, having hyphenated to add his wife’s name — has kept his life pretty private, only sharing snaps from his travels and model work over the years.
In 2024, the actor and model shared a photo of a highlighted script from a production he was part of in Los Angeles, marking his years of work in the theater scene prior to being discovered for the production of JFK Jr. and Bessette’s love story. Around the same time, he shared a behind-the-scenes look at one photoshoot where he shared tips on mental health care.
Nearly a full year later, Kelly announced his casting in Love Story by sharing a screengrab to his Instagram page, posting and then ghosting until he returned to the app with some snaps around New York while filming the series.
In December, he shared pics from his sitdown with Interview Mag, which he remarked as his first professional interview. Since then, Kelly has steadily been promoting the show, which is now out for fans to enjoy. And we predict that they are going to enjoy it.
The first three episodes of Love Story: John F Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette are now streaming on Hulu. New episodes premiere Thursdays on FX and Hulu.
If you’re new to Hulu, you can get started with a 30-day free trial on the streamer’s basic (with ads) plan. After the trial period, you’ll pay $10.99/month. If you want to upgrade to Hulu ad-free, it costs $18.99/month.
If you want to stream even more and save a few bucks a month while you’re at it, we recommend subscribing to one of the Disney+ Bundles, all of which include Hulu. These bundles start at $12.99/month for ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu and goes up to $32.99/month for Disney+, Hulu, and Max, all ad-free.
