RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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It's been a big six months for Sarah Pidgeon . Since stepping into the role of Carolyn Bessette in Love Story , the actress has seen her career skyrocket. The FX anthology, created by Connor Hines and executive produced by Ryan Murphy, chronicles the tragic love story of John F. Kennedy Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly) and Carolyn, who, along with her sister Lauren Bessette (Sydney Lemmon) , died in a plane crash on July 16, 1999. It became the most watched limited series on Hulu and Disney+ with more than 65 million hours streamed globally since its debut in February .
The breakout success transformed Pidgeon from portraying an "It" girl to becoming one herself. She fronted her first major fashion campaign for Balenciaga, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Celine Song; attended Paris Fashion Week; and earned her first Emmy nomination for outstanding lead actress in a limited or anthology series. The morning after celebrating her 30th birthday — and just hours after the 2026 Emmy nominations were announced — Pidgeon spoke with The Hollywood Reporter from France about her first Emmy nod, portraying Carolyn and her thoughts on her castmates, including Kelly, not receiving recognition from the Television Academy. Related Stories TV Ken Burns Reopens America's Founding Wounds in 'The American Revolution' TV Sally Field's Emmy Nom Ends an 8-Year TV Movie Drought. Could Other Actresses Follow?
Congratulations on your first Emmy nomination. Where were you when you found out and what was your immediate reaction?
I've been in Paris for the Chanel show. Just hearing this all out loud sounds so insane, and my sister is in town; we've had a girls' trip. I was on the floor of the hotel room when I found out, and then I got to call my mom, so it was sort of like the whole family was together. But my reaction … well, I am a big crier. I was pretty overwhelmed, so I shed some tears on the phone with my mom and hugged my sister and got to talk to my agent, my manager, my publicist, who have really cheered me on and believed in me. I got to spend some time on the phone with people who have really been in my corner for a long time — or forever — like my family, so that's been really special.
You recently turned 30, and you're now a first-time Emmy nominee. This feels like quite a way to kick off a new decade. How are you feeling about this new chapter?
What a way to start a year, let alone a decade. It's an honor to have my name with those other talented women [Claire Danes, Sally Field, Carey Mulligan and Sarah Snook]. It's huge. They're at the top of their field. I'm still wrapping my head around it. I'm just so grateful to have been recognized, that Love Story is also recognized, and Constance Zimmer . I learned so much. I think I became a better actor because of the talented people that I got to act alongside. Paul Anthony Kelly is now a dear friend. I think that this show works because everyone's performance is so incredible, and now I've got these incredible friendships.
What's your reaction to Paul not receiving a nomination, and is there anyone else from the Love Story cast whom you would have especially liked to see recognized who wasn't?
Being able to watch Paul Anthony Kelly work and transform into JFK Jr. every single day was just so remarkable, as was doing it alongside him. It only makes sense based on what your scene partner is doing. I throw all of the roses at Paul's feet, at Grace Gummer [who plays Caroline Kennedy] , Naomi Watts [Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis], Alessandro Nivola [Calvin Klein] . Speaking of these remarkable talents that I got to work with, it's bizarre to me to be able to say that I was in this production with them, and they are just the most deserving of all recognition, and with Paul, I cannot wait to see all the amazing things and projects that he gets up to.
What was your most challenging scene in the series?
Oh, gosh. Episode eight [in which John and Carolyn have a big fight ] was challenging just in the subject material and the intensity of where the characters were, but then as the bottle episode, it was choreography involved because it all took place in the apartment, so sort of figuring out what the blocking was with the camera and really long shots. There were a lot of elements that made that more challenging, but for me that was also the most rewarding. The very beginning of the pilot, when they get to the airport, we shot that around episode five, so I felt that was difficult because I had yet to really embody Carolyn and feel what it is like in that moment of her life, that part of her marriage, because we had filmed that before episode eight. A lot of the relationship gets uncovered, and I was very aware of wanting to make sure that I was portraying the state of the relationship and their current state, emotionally and physically, accurately, despite still having four episodes before we got there in our timeline. That was challenging. It required an awareness of a thing I didn't yet know.
When we spoke in February , you said you weren't yet able to keep any of Carolyn's clothes. Did you finally get to keep some after filming wrapped?
I haven't yet. ( Laughs. ) I think I might be able to. I'll be able to look through them, maybe toward the end of this month. I just feel really lucky that I got to wear them. That was pretty special.
Is there a couple whose story you would like to see unfold for a second season of Love Story ?
My gut is telling me that Ryan and his team will [choose something] out of left field. I don't think it's going to be a classic love story. I think it will be a different type of romance, or maybe it won't be romantic; it will be like an a-romantic love. Whatever it's going to be, it's going to be very unexpected. Personally, I want to see what that unexpected twist is — I think something like Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe is a different type of love story than John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. I loved reading Just ...
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