Daryl Hannah has publicly criticised Ryan Murphy’s television series Love Story, calling it ‘tragedy-exploiting’ and a ‘textbook example of misogyny’ in a scathing essay for the New York Times. The show, which depicts the romance between John F Kennedy Jr and Carolyn Bessette, features a character named Daryl Hannah, played by Dree Hemingway. Hannah was in a relationship with JFK Jr in the early 1990s.
In her essay, Hannah writes that the portrayal of her character as ‘irritating, self-absorbed, whiny and inappropriate was no accident’. She quotes a producer who described her character as an adversary, arguing that real people should not be used as narrative devices. ‘There is also a gendered dimension to this thinking,’ she adds, accusing the show of tearing down one woman to elevate another.
Hannah specifically denies allegations that she used cocaine, as depicted in the series, calling these ‘assertions about conduct – and they are false’. She claims to have received ‘hostile and even threatening’ messages since the show aired, and expresses dismay at having to defend herself against a television programme.
The actor’s critique follows similar remarks from JFK Jr’s nephew, Jack Schlossberg, who described the show as a ‘grotesque display’ and accused Murphy of knowing nothing about the family. Producer Brad Simpson defended the project as ‘made with sincerity’, while actor Sarah Pidgeon, who played Bessette, acknowledged Schlossberg’s right to his opinion.
Since its February launch, Love Story has become the most-watched FX limited series to date, with 25 million hours of viewing for its first five episodes on Disney+.
