Actress Who Played Caroline Kennedy Responds to Report That Former Diplomat ‘Laughed So Hard’ at Her Performance
Grace Gummer has responded to Jack Schlossberg’s criticism of her portrayal of Caroline Kennedy in FX’s Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, saying she understands why the family may react strongly to seeing private lives depicted on screen.
Schlossberg previously said on Katie Couric’s Next Question podcast that he showed his mother a clip of Gummer’s performance and that Caroline Kennedy laughed “so hard” at it. He suggested the portrayal reflected how the series interpreted his mother’s personality, adding to his broader criticism of the Ryan Murphy-produced drama.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Gummer said she tried to approach the role “with honesty and compassion and delicacy,” and emphasized that she has “an immense amount of respect” for Caroline Kennedy. She said she could not imagine what it is like for a person to see their life dramatized onscreen.
Gummer also said she would be open to hearing Kennedy’s own reaction if the former diplomat ever wanted to speak with her. In her words, she would “let [Caroline] speak,” underscoring that she would welcome the opportunity to listen rather than defend her performance.
That stance matches comments Gummer made in a March interview with Town & Country. At the time, she said that if she ever met Caroline Kennedy, she would “bow to her” and thank her, adding that she hoped she had done right by the woman she portrayed. The actress has repeatedly said her goal was not imitation, but to capture an overall sense of the person through research and observation.
Speaking to ABC’s On The Red Carpet, Gummer explained that she does not believe in simply imitating real people in her acting work. Instead, she said she gathered information from multiple sources, including reading and speaking with people who know Kennedy, in order to develop what she described as an “energy sense” of the character.
Schlossberg has been among the most outspoken critics of the series. In a March appearance on CBS Sunday Morning, he accused the showrunners of profiting from “a grotesque display of someone else’s life.” He also argued that Ryan Murphy and the creative team did not understand the Kennedy family or the history they were dramatizing.
He further suggested that profits from the project should be directed to causes John F. Kennedy Jr. supported or to the JFK Library, saying the production is “not a documentary” and should be treated with more responsibility. His remarks have added to the public attention surrounding the series and the debate over how real people are portrayed in prestige television dramatizations.
Gummer’s latest comments present a calmer response, framing the situation as one that requires empathy for the family while defending the intent behind her performance.
