‘Love Story’ Team on Re-Creating JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s Emotional Wedding and Everyone Crying After the First Take
By Arushi Jacob
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How do you recreate one of the most famous nuptials in modern American history? The team behind Episode 6 of “Love Story” — aptly titled “The Wedding” after JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s church ceremony –– took to the stage at the Variety FYC TV Fest on May 6 to discuss the process behind re-creating and imagining the 1996 union.
In a conversation moderated by Variety’s Senior Artisans Editor Jazz Tangcay, director Gillian Robes highlighted the pressure to make the episode great. She was joined by writer Juli Weiner; Constance Zimmer, who played Bessette’s mother and shared the process behind her emotional monologue; costume designer Rudy Mance, who detailed recreating Bessette’s dress; and music supervisor Jen Malone, who recounted the challenges of clearing the song “Common People” for a light-hearted scene between Bessette and Kennedy.
Robes thanked Weiner for writing the script, describing it as “poetic, funny, and heartbreaking,” adding that she felt “privileged to have directed it.” Weiner compared it to other iconic wedding in history like Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s wedding, emphasizing the importance of capturing the romance and secrecy of the ceremony. Robes also spoke to the decision to make Bessette and Kennedy appear to be levitating during the reception, and building a platform and circular dolly track to achieve the desired effect. “We dug a very deep hole and put this platform in that was on risers and levitated them right into the sky,” explained Robes. “It was giving them the freedom in one take, to just do their lines, act natural and feel like they are floating.”
Zimmer, who performs a strong monologue in the episode, clearly apprehensive of her daughter marrying a public figure, revealed that she originally auditioned for the show with that scene. “When I got on the set to do it, it was already so much in me, because I had already lived it a couple of times over,” she said, adding that everyone cried at the end of the first take.
Mance explained his team’s extensive efforts to research Bessette’s real-life wedding look, managing to find the exact fabric Narciso Rodriguez used, and piecing the look for the rehearsal dinner together from grainy photographs they found. “Through our research, we found the same company that made her gloves and veil,” said Mance. “I got to go and visit them, and we actually saw the hand tracings that they did. Every single thing that we could do to pay our respects to Narciso, we did.”
Malone spoke about acquiring the rights to Pulp’s “Common People,” a song that lead singer Jarvis Cocker almost never permits use of. “I never want to say no to my directors or writers,” she said, adding that the song was scripted in by Weiner. “You have to think outside the box.”
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