Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 10:35     Subject: Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bassette
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Naomi Watts is a wonderful actress but was woefully miscast here.


I think she got the gig because she played Babe Paley in Murphy's Feud: Capote v. the Swans series, and the characters have some similarities. Would have been interesting if they had instead cast Calista Flockhart, who played Jackie's sister Lee in Swans. I think Flockhart better resembles both sisters and that she would have sounded less silly doing Jackie's voice. I found Naomi Watt really hammy in this role, especially with the voice. The only think I though read well was her dynamic with JFK Jr., which felt right -- codependent but in a WASPy (I know they were Catholic) way where they are also cold and distant at the same time.

I think Gummer is doing a good job with Carolyn. She's portraying a character, not doing an impersonation.


You mean CaroLINE.

Yes, it’s confusing, as it always has been.


Oh yeah, I meant Caroline. Total typo because I was thinking about Carolyn while writing about Caroline.

Still think Gummer is doing a good job with the role. I think all Meryl's daughters are good actresses, but I think Grace might be the only one who approaches Meryl's skills.
Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 10:21     Subject: Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bassette
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Naomi Watts is a wonderful actress but was woefully miscast here.


I think she got the gig because she played Babe Paley in Murphy's Feud: Capote v. the Swans series, and the characters have some similarities. Would have been interesting if they had instead cast Calista Flockhart, who played Jackie's sister Lee in Swans. I think Flockhart better resembles both sisters and that she would have sounded less silly doing Jackie's voice. I found Naomi Watt really hammy in this role, especially with the voice. The only think I though read well was her dynamic with JFK Jr., which felt right -- codependent but in a WASPy (I know they were Catholic) way where they are also cold and distant at the same time.

I think Gummer is doing a good job with Carolyn. She's portraying a character, not doing an impersonation.


Oh Calista would have made a GREAT Jackie. Good call.
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 23:59     Subject: Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bassette
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I feel so sorry for Anne Freeman, having her daughter’s personal life dredged up again and old photos everywhere.

Plus she had two daughters. She’s probably relieved at least one is left in peace.


Ann Freeman died in 2007. Lisa Bessette is now 60.


I read Anne is still alive. No one seems to know for sure.


There is a Find A Grave memorial for her: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/198821455/ann_marie-freeman


The death date is inconsistent with going no comment in 2019.
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 23:43     Subject: Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bassette
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Naomi Watts is a wonderful actress but was woefully miscast here.


I think she got the gig because she played Babe Paley in Murphy's Feud: Capote v. the Swans series, and the characters have some similarities. Would have been interesting if they had instead cast Calista Flockhart, who played Jackie's sister Lee in Swans. I think Flockhart better resembles both sisters and that she would have sounded less silly doing Jackie's voice. I found Naomi Watt really hammy in this role, especially with the voice. The only think I though read well was her dynamic with JFK Jr., which felt right -- codependent but in a WASPy (I know they were Catholic) way where they are also cold and distant at the same time.

I think Gummer is doing a good job with Carolyn. She's portraying a character, not doing an impersonation.


You mean CaroLINE.

Yes, it’s confusing, as it always has been.
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 23:06     Subject: Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bassette
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I feel so sorry for Anne Freeman, having her daughter’s personal life dredged up again and old photos everywhere.

Plus she had two daughters. She’s probably relieved at least one is left in peace.


Ann Freeman died in 2007. Lisa Bessette is now 60.


I read Anne is still alive. No one seems to know for sure.


There is a Find A Grave memorial for her: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/198821455/ann_marie-freeman
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 22:56     Subject: Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bassette
Anonymous wrote:The actress playing Daryl Hannah looks nothing like her. Her face and accent are completely wrong and very distracting.,


It's Dree Hemingway, Muriel's daughter. It only works in long shots, when she's in close up it's like "uh... no."

I get really annoyed every time Daryl shows up in literally any scene, but also this is clearly how she was written intentionally. So mission accomplished? She does make Carolyn look much better by comparison, obviously.

She's especially awful during the funeral. Though John is also so frustrated in ever single scene with Daryl because there is zero chemistry between them and she's just irritating and it makes no sense why he keeps seeing her.
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 22:52     Subject: Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bassette
Anonymous wrote:Naomi Watts is a wonderful actress but was woefully miscast here.


I think she got the gig because she played Babe Paley in Murphy's Feud: Capote v. the Swans series, and the characters have some similarities. Would have been interesting if they had instead cast Calista Flockhart, who played Jackie's sister Lee in Swans. I think Flockhart better resembles both sisters and that she would have sounded less silly doing Jackie's voice. I found Naomi Watt really hammy in this role, especially with the voice. The only think I though read well was her dynamic with JFK Jr., which felt right -- codependent but in a WASPy (I know they were Catholic) way where they are also cold and distant at the same time.

I think Gummer is doing a good job with Carolyn. She's portraying a character, not doing an impersonation.
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 22:31     Subject: Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bassette
Anonymous wrote:The actress playing Daryl Hannah looks nothing like her. Her face and accent are completely wrong and very distracting.,


Yeah, she's a caricature. Jackie, too. Glad she died early in the series.
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 22:29     Subject: Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bassette
The actress playing Daryl Hannah looks nothing like her. Her face and accent are completely wrong and very distracting.,
Anonymous
Post 02/19/2026 08:07     Subject: Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bassette
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I feel so sorry for Anne Freeman, having her daughter’s personal life dredged up again and old photos everywhere.

Plus she had two daughters. She’s probably relieved at least one is left in peace.


Ann Freeman died in 2007. Lisa Bessette is now 60.


I read Anne is still alive. No one seems to know for sure.



Ann has a facebook account that was active at least as of 5 years ago. Set to private but supposedly has relatives among the friends. There is no specific grave info or obituary details. I don't think she's dead.

In 2012 she and Richard sold the house they built in 2000.
https://www.redfin.com/CT/Old-Greenwich/54-Binney-Ln-06870/home/107025950

From 2019: Lisa’s mother, Ann, 79, still married to Richard Freeman, declined to comment. Lisa’s father, William Bessette, 81, also did not respond to several calls.

Anyway, hope the vultures don't succeed in finding them. They found Lisa, who gave a polite brush-off.


Anonymous
Post 02/19/2026 07:08     Subject: Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bassette
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I feel so sorry for Anne Freeman, having her daughter’s personal life dredged up again and old photos everywhere.

Plus she had two daughters. She’s probably relieved at least one is left in peace.


Ann Freeman died in 2007. Lisa Bessette is now 60.


I read Anne is still alive. No one seems to know for sure.
Anonymous
Post 02/19/2026 05:16     Subject: Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bassette
Anonymous wrote:I feel so sorry for Anne Freeman, having her daughter’s personal life dredged up again and old photos everywhere.

Plus she had two daughters. She’s probably relieved at least one is left in peace.


Ann Freeman died in 2007. Lisa Bessette is now 60.
Anonymous
Post 02/19/2026 05:02     Subject: Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bassette
I feel so sorry for Anne Freeman, having her daughter’s personal life dredged up again and old photos everywhere.

Plus she had two daughters. She’s probably relieved at least one is left in peace.
Anonymous
Post 02/18/2026 18:55     Subject: Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bassette
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I know nothing about Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, but I never liked that in photos of the couple, she always sort of stood a little behind JFK Jr and looked doen almost demurely (Meghan Markle used the same stance in the early years of her relationship with Harry). It always seemed fake/posed and like she didn’t view herself an equal.


It was well-known that she hated being photographed. There was a video of her with JFK Jr being hounded by photographers in a parking garage and she just completely shut down. She found the attention so unbearable that she didn't even want to live in NYC after they were married.



I don't get why being photographed is such a big deal. Put on sunglasses and headphones and just walk quickly by.


It is a horrible life.


Yes. I read Carolyn was really afraid when people would swarm her. Remember she came of age around the time of Rebecca Shaeffer. Also some paps would apparently say horrible things to her. Tuning it out is a lot easier said than done.
Anonymous
Post 02/18/2026 14:06     Subject: Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bassette
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Did Carolyn have any female friends who were not John's friends? You never hear anything about them. I've only heard of one gay male friend, when she first started dating John.


I don't think you would commonly hear of non-famous friends, especially in the days before social media. She was very close to Carole Radziwill, who was married to Anthony, John's terminally ill cousin. John and Carolyn would have helped Carole in the aftermath of Anthony's death, and instead Carole and Anthony attended their memorial service weeks before he died. That always stuck with me- how John ended up dying before his cousin.


Carole's book, What Remains, is really good if you have not read it. It's respectful and very loving. She presents Carolyn as a warm and caring person who consistently showed up for Anthony when he was sick.


I read it twice, and loved it.