It’s been one of the biggest casting questions of the year—who could possibly play JFK Jr. in Ryan Murphy’s buzzy new series. Now we have the answer, and more questions. Chiefly: Who is this guy?
Newcomer Paul Kelly landed the role of John F. Kennedy Jr. in the upcoming series American Love Story, which chronicles the whirlwind courtship, marriage, and deaths of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.
JFK Jr., or John-John, as was his nickname, is an American legend. The son of the President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy, he was so handsome that People magazine named him “Sexiest Man Alive” in 1988. After becoming a celebrity in his own right with his rise a journalist, lawyer, and dashing socialite, he and Bessette-Kennedy died in a plane crash in 1999 when he was just 38.
Any leading man in Hollywood would likely kill for the chance to play him, so it’s a surprise that Murphy instead cast an unknown like Kelly.
In the series, Naomi Watts (The Watcher) is taking on the role of fashion icon and former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy; Sarah Pigeon (Tiny Beautiful Things) will play Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.
A post shared by paul anthony widziszewski-kelly (@ofishalpak)
This appears to be Kelly’s first big break in Hollywood. He’s so new to the industry that he doesn’t even have an IMDb page (*gasp*), which is a must for any working actor.
Given his obscurity, we did a deep dive on Kelly, so you don’t have to. Here is everything you want to know—or at least could find—about the man about to become a pop-culture obsession.
Modeling Career
We may not know much about Kelly, but at least we know his measurements. (He’s 6′ 2,″ has a 32 ” waist, and wears size 11 shoes, should you be curious.)
A post shared by paul anthony widziszewski-kelly (@ofishalpak)
Kelly is a model who has been represented by The Society Management, and based on the portfolio photos on the website, the man definitely looks good in a blazer.
His Social Media
It appears that Kelly got his start as a thespian.
A post shared by paul anthony widziszewski-kelly (@ofishalpak)
A post shared by The Group Repertory Theatre (@thegroupreptheatre)
In one Instagram post, the actor uploaded a photo of his script and playbill from Los Angeles’ The Group Rep’s production last year of Can’t Live Without ‘Em by Lee Redmond, in which he plays a doctor (he’s basically McDreamy from Grey’s Anatomy.)
One local review noted that Kelly “has the requisite good looks for Doctor Payne.” At least it’s not a pan!
Here’s him doing an ad-read, in case you wanted to hear what he sounds like.
Oh, and he likes dogs. This is not relevant to the role, but we thought you should know anyways.
A post shared by paul anthony widziszewski-kelly (@ofishalpak)
The Casting Process
It took a long time for Murphy to find the right person to play the American legend.
According to pop culture journalist Evan Ross Katz, who broke the news about the casting, the production team auditioned over 1,000 actors over the course of six months to select the actor who will play the much coveted role of JFK Jr.
American Love Story is set to be released sometime in 2026, so audiences will just have to wait until then to make up their mind about Hollywood’s next leading man.
The post Who Is the Hunk Who Was Just Cast as JFK Jr.? appeared first on The Daily Beast.
