Sarah Pidgeon reacts to backlash of her portrayal of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy

Sarah Pidgeon isn’t letting criticism taint her portrayal of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.

The actress, 29, is set to play the late fashion publicist in Ryan Murphy’s series “American Love Story.” The show will follow the relationship between Carolyn and John F. Kennedy Jr.

Last month, the creator, 59, shared pictures to Instagram of Pidgeon as Carolyn and Paul Kelly as JFK Jr.

“FIRST LOOK! 📸 Here are some stills from our LOVE STORY camera test,” the caption read. “We started shooting this week in New York City and can’t wait until you see the romantic and tragic love story between America’s prince, JFK Jr., and fashion icon Carolyn Bessette—out Valentine’s Day week of 2026.”

Murphy added, “I am thrilled to introduce you to Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn and Paul Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr. Over a thousand actors auditioned for each of these roles, and we absolutely found the perfect choices. Congratulations Sarah and Paul!”

However, some critics were disappointed in their transformations — including Pidgeon’s hair color.

On Monday, the star addressed the backlash.

“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,” Pidgeon told Variety while at the LA premiere of “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”

“And I’m not surprised that people have strong opinions about it.”

“That’s what makes her such an interesting person,” she confessed. “I mean, not only how she dressed, but the woman who worked at Calvin Klein and the person that JFK Jr. fell in love with. She’s a human being beyond just these pictures. She really resonates with a lot of people, and she certainly does with me.”

Despite the outside chatter, portraying Bessette-Kennedy has been a “fulfilling and incredibly special” experience for Pidgeon.

“I think that she is an incredibly generous person and she’s incredibly confident,” she added. “I don’t know if I necessarily always carry myself in that way, but it’s been really empowering to channel those elements of Carolyn. I could talk for a while about everything there is about her. It’s been really, really fulfilling and incredibly special to do it on camera.”

While on the carpet, Pidgeon also touched on joining Murphy’s TV universe.

“I just feel very, very honored,” she gushed to E! News. “Not only to be a part of that production company, but to be playing such an incredible woman. It’s a real gift and responsibility. It’s definitely a pinch-me moment. But I feel very, very grateful.”

In June, Bessette-Kennedy’s hair colorist, Brad Johns, weighed in on the criticism over Pidgeon’s hair color in the pictures.

“No one would believe that Carolyn in the ’90s would ever have that color from me,” he told Vogue. “It’s too 2024.” 

The New Yorker, meanwhile, was a natural brunette.

Johns started working with Bessette-Kennedy in 1996 and referred to her color as his “child-of-the-beach” hue.

The expert recalled to the outlet that it was something “we worked really hard to get right.”

Johns also spoke to Page Six Style about the upcoming project.

“I love Ryan Murphy. I mean, I live for him,” the colorist stated. “But there must be some kind of glitch with the costume people or the hair people, because it’s not right — it’s all white and burnt.”

“Her hair was not white and it wasn’t burnt, and she hated the idea of having ashy hair — which I was totally against, too, and I never did it. But when I saw [the first look], I went, ‘Oh my God, what am I gonna do?’” Johns continued. “Carolyn’s hair was darker at the bottom, the mid was medium blond and the front was all brilliant gold pieces.”

“Gold makes women look beautiful. Ash makes you look dead, unless you’re wearing a ton of makeup, and who wears a ton of makeup? It’s just wrong. Everything.”

Murphy also addressed the critics in an interview with Puck’s Lauren Sherman. He explained the test shots were not final looks.

“I had no idea that people cared as much as they do, but I guess that’s a good thing,” he admitted.

Along with Pidgeon and Kelly, Naomi Watts is set to play Jackie Kennedy.

The late couple first met in 1992 when she was working for Calvin Klein. At the time, she was tasked with giving him a private tour and fitting.

The pair dated for two years before tying the knot in September 1996 in a private ceremony on Cumberland Island, Georgia.

The couple died in a plane crash on July 16, 1999, along with her sister Lauren Bessette. Tragedy struck when they were flying from New Jersey to Martha’s Vineyard.