In A Scathing Takedown, Daryl Hannah Calls Out The “Lies” And “Misogyny” Of Her Portrayal In “Love Story” — Here’s What She Had To Say

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Many viewers have fallen in love with the runaway hit, FX's Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, but Daryl Hannah is absolutely not one of them.

In a scathing guest op-ed in the NYT, Daryl writes: "A recent tragedy-exploiting television series about John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette features a character using my name and presents her as me."

Daryl wrote that portraying her as "irritating, self-absorbed, whiny and inappropriate was no accident." She continues: "The character 'Daryl Hannah' portrayed in the series is not even a remotely accurate representation of my life, my conduct or my relationship with John. The actions and behaviors attributed to me are untrue."

In Love Story, the character of Daryl Hannah is depicted as the mousy villain to Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's chic protagonist portrayal. She does not want to let go of her failing relationship with John John, and is pushing him for an engagement.

To pile on even further, the character of Daryl has a drug problem. In the second episode, she throws a cocaine-fueled party with friends in their apartment, where drug use happens on one of John F. Kennedy's presidential artifacts. It's not, in any way, a positive portrayal, especially for viewers who have little knowledge of JFK Jr.'s or Daryl's actual stories.

Daryl explicitly clears up this depiction: "I have never used cocaine in my life or hosted cocaine-fueled parties. I have never pressured anyone into marriage. I have never desecrated any family heirloom or intruded upon anyone’s private memorial. I have never planted any story in the press. I never compared Jacqueline Onassis’ death to a dog’s. It’s appalling to me that I even have to defend myself against a television show. These are not creative embellishments of personality. They are assertions about conduct — and they are false."

What's most troubling is that Daryl has received threats from Love Story viewers. "In the weeks since the series aired, I have received many hostile and even threatening messages from viewers who seem to believe the portrayal is factual," she writes. It goes without saying, but this kind of behavior is completely dangerous to Daryl and those close to her.

While people on the internet have created fashion moodboards inspired by Carolyn, and men have even been trying to emulate JFK Jr.'s style to look more like him, folks are also chiming in on Daryl's depiction. Here are some of the reactions via Twitter:

"Nah good on Daryl Hannah for coming out & saying she was portrayed wrong & fake in love story JFK Jr & Carolyn."

"Love Story had me googling 90s Daryl Hannah just to confirm they doing her as dirty as it seemed lmao."

"and what episode of love story does daryl hannah hire a lawyer and sue ?"

"Daryl Hannah really taking some tough hits from Love Story."

As a fan of Ryan Murphy's FX miniseries offerings (I devoured Darren Criss' performance in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story for the brilliant television it was), it's important to remember that these depictions are purely for entertainment.

And that can be tough. With the spot-on casting, it feels like we're actually watching JFK Jr. and Carolyn's love story playing out in real time, and it's even more parasocial since they died so young. In a way, it feels like we're getting more access to them. But we're falling in love with a story arc that's in no way historical fact.

Are you watching FX's Love Story? Let us know what you think of the miniseries in the comments.

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