Logo text
Grace Gummer had a competing offer for another when Ryan Murphy stepped in and convinced her to join his series chronicling the tragic romance between America’s Prince John F. Kennedy Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly) and Carolyn Bisset (Sarah Pidgeon).
“He called me and said, ‘What’s this other show you’re doing? Why don’t you do our show? I promise it’s going to be amazing,'” Gummer recalls. “He is very direct, he knows what he wants, and he is very decisive and intelligent. So I trust him.”
Collaboration was not new territory, as the 40-year-old actress has worked with Murphy American Horror Story: Coven, American Horror Story: Freak Show And most recently the first season of everything is fair, Opposite Kim Kardashian. still, love storyfrom creator Connor Haynes, presented what Gummer described as one of her greatest challenges to date.
“I think being at this age and having lived what I’ve lived, puts me in the best possible position to explore a character like Caroline Kennedy and do everything I can to honor her, and I hope only with dignity and respect,” says Gummer, who knows a little about being born into a famous family as the daughter of three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep, sculptor Don Gummer, and the sister of fellow actresses Mamie Gummer.We were lying(and Louisa Jacobson)The Gilded Age).
As the sister of John F. Kennedy Jr. and the daughter of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy — played by Naomi Watts on the FX series — Caroline Kennedy has long held a place in American public life. As an adult, she made her own legacy through politics and public service, serving as U.S. Ambassador to both Japan and Australia, among other leadership roles.
Although Caroline remains a relatively minor character for most of the season, Gummer’s portrayal reaches its peak in the series finale, when she learns of the July 16, 1999 plane crash that claimed the lives of John, Caroline, and her sister Lauren (Sydney Lemon) and collapses under the weight of grief. “Please don’t do this to me, I can’t do this again,” she cries, referring to the deaths of her father, mother and uncle, Robert Kennedy, as she collapses in the arms of her husband, Ed Schlossberg (Ben Shenkman).
“You have to look within yourself in a very deep way, emotionally,” Gummer says of preparing for a scene. “Technique is really important to me as an actor. Knowing the lines was, first and foremost, my position and my mark within the scene. I made sure I knew all the beats because a lot of the words were repeated, but they were all pronounced in different ways. So I really tried to make sure I knew what I was saying when I was saying it so that I didn’t have to think about any of that.”
“Secondly, I really let myself go,” she continues. “I didn’t leave anything behind, physically or emotionally. I allowed myself to be completely open and vulnerable. To be honest, I’m trying to imagine what it’s like to lose someone you love, which is unimaginable, but I tried to do my best.”
The scene required approximately 10 takes, and was directed by Anthony Hemingway, who also worked with Gomer On American Horror Story: Freak Show and everything is fair, It pushed her to keep going, even as the emotional toll mounted.
“He said, ‘Go again. Go again. I know you have that in you,'” she recalls. “By the eighth take, I was like, ‘I actually don’t know how much more of this I can put myself in,’ but I think we ended up using one of the last takes.”
Gummer’s performance quickly emerged as a standout with critics, with early Emmy predictions placing her among the front-runners for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Series, Limited or Anthology Movie.
“I’m very lucky. I think my work speaks for itself, and the fact that it has evoked these emotions and stirred this feeling in the hearts of people around the world — I mean, that’s my job as an artist. So if I’m doing that, I feel like I’m doing something right,” Gummer says. “I’m proud of myself.”
Her family as well. “My whole family called me crying — individually,” she says of their reactions to the finale. “They all had something great to say about my performance, so that was really cool.”
However, not everyone shares the same enthusiasm. Jack Schlossberg, Caroline Kennedy’s son, was publicly criticized love story During his appearance on Next question with Katie Couric In April, he said he showed his mother a clip of Gummer’s filming that sparked a rather strange reaction.
“The person [she depicted] “I was freaking out, and we were laughing so hard, like this is how my mom would act,” he said, adding of the series: “Keep in mind it might be entertaining, but it’s fiction.”
Gomer somewhat understands the reaction but remains unfazed.
“All I can say is that I really can’t imagine what it’s like to see your life depicted on screen. My goal was to portray her with honesty, compassion and accuracy,” she says. “I have a great deal of respect for her.”
Gummer adds that no one in the Kennedy family has reached out directly, but if she had the opportunity to talk to Caroline, she knew exactly how she would handle it: “I would let her talk.”
This story first appeared in the June standalone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To obtain the magazine, click here to subscribe.
