Grace Gummer Opens Up About Filming Love Story

Grace Gummer is opening up about one of the most demanding roles of her career. The actress, who plays Caroline Kennedy in FX’s Love Story, says filming the series finale left her emotionally exhausted while defending the show against public criticism.

The Ryan Murphy drama retells the relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, culminating in their tragic deaths. Gummer initially hesitated about taking on the role before Murphy himself called to recruit her for the project.

“He called me and was like, ‘Why don’t you do our show? I promise it’s going to be amazing,'” Gummer recalled. She credits Murphy’s personal pitch and their previous collaborations as reasons she trusted his vision enough to sign on.

But the actual filming was grueling, especially the finale. The episode depicts Caroline Kennedy learning about the plane crash that killed her brother, his wife Carolyn Bessette, and her sister-in-law Lauren Bessette. Gummer said the emotional toll was substantial.

“You have to go to a very deep emotional place,” she explained. Multiple takes of the devastating scenes left her completely drained by the end of production.

The show has drawn fire from Jack Schlossberg, JFK Jr.’s nephew, who has publicly blasted it as inaccurate and disrespectful. Gummer hasn’t directly responded to his criticism, but she made clear that Love Story is dramatized television, not a documentary. Her goal, she said, was capturing the “essence” of Caroline Kennedy rather than a literal portrayal.

Despite the ongoing controversy about how the show depicts real historical figures, Gummer views her performance as a tribute to Caroline Kennedy’s resilience and poise during one of America’s darkest moments.