Grace Gummer had a competing offer for another show when Ryan Murphy stepped in and persuaded her to join his series chronicling the tragic romance between America’s prince, John F. Kennedy Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly), and Carolyn Bessette (Sarah Pidgeon).
“He called me and was like, ‘What is this other show you’re doing? Why don’t you do our show? I promise, it’s going to be amazing,’” Gummer recalls. “He’s very, very direct; he knows what he wants, and he’s decisive and smart as hell. So I trust him.”
The collaboration was hardly new territory, as the 40-year-old actress had worked with Murphy on American Horror Story: Coven, American Horror Story: Freak Show and, most recently, the first season of All’s Fair, opposite Kim Kardashian. Still, Love Story, from creator Connor Hines, presented what Gummer describes as one of her greatest challenges yet.
“I think being the age that I am and having lived through what I’ve lived through put me in the best possible position to explore a character like Caroline Kennedy and to give all that I could to honor her with, I only hope, dignity and respect,” says Gummer, who knows a bit about being born into a famous family as the daughter of three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep and sculptor Don Gummer and the sister of fellow actresses Mamie Gummer (We Were Liars) and Louisa Jacobson (The Gilded Age).
As the sister of JFK Jr. and the daughter of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy — played by Naomi Watts in the FX series — Caroline Kennedy long has occupied a place in American public life. As an adult, she carved out her own legacy through politics and public service, serving as U.S. ambassador to both Japan and Australia, among other leadership roles.
Though Caroline remains a relatively minor figure for much of the season, Gummer’s portrayal crescendos in the series finale, when she learns of the July 16, 1999, plane crash that claimed the lives of John, Carolyn and her sister Lauren (Sydney Lemmon) and collapses under the weight of grief. “Please don’t do this to me, I can’t do it again,” she cries, referencing the deaths of her father, mother and uncle, Robert F. Kennedy, as she breaks down in the arms of her husband, Ed Schlossberg (Ben Shenkman).
“You have to sort of search within yourself in a very deep way, emotionally,” Gummer says of preparing for the scene. “Technicality is really important to me as an actor. Knowing the lines was, first and foremost, my center and my mark within the scene. I made sure that I knew all the beats because a lot of the words were repeated, but they were all said in different ways. So I really tried to make sure that I knew what I was saying when I was saying it so that I wouldn’t have to think of any of that.
“Secondly, I really let myself go,” she continues. “There’s nothing I left behind, physically or emotionally. I let myself be completely open and vulnerable. And, to be honest, I try to imagine what it’s like to lose someone you love, and it’s unimaginable, but I tried to do my best.”
The scene required roughly 10 takes, and director Anthony Hemingway, who also worked with Gummer on American Horror Story: Freak Show and All’s Fair, pushed her to keep going, even as the emotional toll mounted.
“He said, ‘Just go again. Go again. I know you have it in you,’” she recalls. “By the eighth take, I was like, ‘I actually don’t know how many more of these I can put myself through,’ but I think we ended up using one of the last takes.”
Gummer’s performance quickly emerged as a standout with critics, early Emmy predictions placing her among the frontrunners for best supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie.
“I’m very lucky. I think that my work speaks for itself, and the fact that it’s stirred up this emotion and elicited this feeling in people’s hearts around the world — I mean, that’s my job as an artist. So if I’m doing that, then I feel like I’m doing something right,” says Gummer. “I’m proud of myself.”
Her family is, too. “My whole family called me crying — each individually,” she says of their reactions to the finale. “They all had something wonderful to say about my performance, so that was really lovely.”
Not everyone shares that same enthusiasm, however. Jack Schlossberg, Caroline Kennedy’s son, publicly criticized Love Story during an appearance on Next Question With Katie Couric in April, saying he showed his mother a clip of Gummer’s portrayal that elicited a rather peculiar response.
“The person [she depicted] was freaking out, and we’re just laughing so hard, as if that’s how my mom acts,” he said, adding of the series, “Keep in mind, it might be entertaining, but it’s fiction.”
Gummer understands the reaction to a degree but remains unfazed.
“All I can say is, I really can’t imagine what it’s like to see your life portrayed onscreen. My goal was to play her with honesty and compassion and delicacy,” she says. “I have an immense amount of respect for her.”
Gummer adds that no one in the Kennedy family has reached out directly, but if she ever had the chance to speak with Caroline, she knows exactly how she’d approach it: “I would let her speak.”
This story first appeared in a June stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
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