In June, Murphy’s production company shared teaser images from the upcoming American Love Story series, giving the audience its first look at actors Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon as John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. The photos from the new series, which tells the story of JFK Jr. and Bessette-Kennedy’s romance, left many wanting more, especially when it came to her hair. In the photos, Pidgeon’s hair was a bright blonde; the color was criticized by fans who felt that it did not accurately represent Bessette-Kennedy. “This hair is dry, brittle, platinum, and it washes her out. CBK had warm blonde hair that made her not look like a corpse. This is really bad,” read one comment on the post. Another commenter wrote that “as a blonde I am personally offended by this drug store box blonde. Please have her hair professionally done before filming.”
In response to the backlash, Murphy told Variety that he’s assembled a style advisory board to ensure the show gets the fashion details right — and clarified that Pidgeon’s hair in the initial photos was actually a wig. On July 16, Pidgeon attended the premiere of her new film, I Know What You Did Last Summer and unveiled a new look: a buttery blonde dye job. Pidgeon also addressed the backlash to the early photos on the red carpet, telling Variety, “I know how special Carolyn is to me and I understand how widely beloved she is, so this role comes with a lot of responsibility — and I’m not surprised that people have strong opinions about it.”
The new color more closely resembles Bessette-Kennedy’s shade, and it’s not a wig, according to her colorist Kari Hill. For the red carpet, hairstylist Bryce Scarlett styled Pidgeon’s hair in soft, face-framing waves that highlighted its cooler tones. Makeup artist Nina Park tied the look together with a fresh base and a brick red lip. When Park shared a photo of Pidgeon on Instagram, the comment section was abuzz. This time around, though, fans were a lot more enthusiastic.
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