The Crown Just Revealed Who Will Play JFK and Jackie Kennedy in Season 2
Netflix’s The Crown, the royal period series following the young life and rule of Queen Elizabeth II, boasts a stellar cast: Specifically, John Lithgow and Claire Foy have already collected significant praise and numerous accolades this awards season for their portrayals of Winston Churchill and the Queen, respectively. But season two of the breakout hit promises to stack even more talent into the Golden Globe and SAG Award-winning series, as Michael C. Hall and Jodi Balfour have just been cast as President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy, according to Deadline{: rel=nofollow}.
While the series is set in the United Kingdom, the Kennedys play a large part in season two, which is currently in production. Deadline reports that The Crown’s sophomore season kicks off with Queen Elizabeth’s soldiers fighting an illegal war in Egypt and ends with the scandalous downfall of her third Prime Minister, Harold MacMillan. But the second season also ushers in the “revolutionary era of the 1960s,” and thus the Kennedys.
Michael C. Hall, best known for his role on Dexter, will reportedly portray the JFK that was “a natural leader and excellent public speaker who does not take kindly to being upstaged by anyone, especially his wife,” Deadline adds. The Crown will highlight Kennedy’s resentment of his wife’s popularity, and chronicle him as “he seeks revenge by flaunting his many infidelities and, behind closed doors, his jealousy surfaces in the form of anger and manipulation.”
Meanwhile, Jodi Balfour, who most recently starred in the Cinemax series Quarry, will bring to life a Jackie Kennedy that is “a seemingly natural First Lady,” but whose “charming exterior of confidence and glamour hides a shy woman who loathes public life,” Deadline reports. Balfour is the latest actress to play the iconic Jackie Kennedy Onassis, joining a list that includes Natalie Portman (Jackie), Katie Holmes (The Kennedys), Jeanne Tripplehorn (Grey Gardens), and Ginnifer Goodwin (Killing Kennedy).
Jackie Kennedy Through the Years: A Look Back at the Original White House Style Icon
A smiling Jacqueline Bouvier arrives at St. Mary’s Church in Newport, R.I., on the arm of her stepfather, Hugh D. Auchincloss, for her wedding, 1953. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jackie Kennedy on a visit to India in 1962. Her signature pearls and gloves accessorize an apricot dress with bow accent. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jackie looks windswept on a December afternoon in 1969 in a casual black turtleneck. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jackie Onassis pictured receiving a gift from Prince Sihanouk of Cambodia and his wife during a trip to Cambodia in 1967. She dons a teal one-shoulder dress with decorative trim. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jackie Kennedy on a trip to Canada in 1961. The First Lady matches an iconic pillbox hat to her red wool suit. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jackie Onassis attends the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center in 1967 wearing a white 3/4 sleeve gown cinched at the waist by a chunky belt with stone inlays. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in a formal pants suit on East 75th Street, New York, 1960. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jackie Onassis on the way to the Metropolitan Opera House House Royal Ballet in 1974. Her printed maxi dress exudes 70’s glamour. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
President and Mrs. Kennedy in West Palm Beach, Florida, 1961. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Ms. Onassis arriving at La Cote Basque in 1970. In a stunning red moment, Jackie looks playful in a beautiful ruffled dress that’s belted at the waist. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jacqueline Kennedy wearing a checked blue and white high cloche with a matching blue ribbon around the crown as she arrives with the President to greet the Pakastan President, Ayub Khan, Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, July 11, 1961. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy walks a pace behind her husband in a monochromatic white outfit, a look that quickly became synonymous with Mrs. Kennedy during her Camelot days in 1962. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jackie Kennedy exits a plane at Laguardia Airport Field in a knee-length leopard coat in 1962. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jackie is pictured wearing her riding outfit at the 17th Annual Horse Show in 1970. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jackie Onassis is photographed in 1970 at The Alvin Theater in New York wearing a black and white cocktail dress belted at the waist with geometric inserts. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jackie is photographed at Heathrow Airport sporting a casual printed blouse and iconic oversized glasses in 1976. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jackie Onassis pictured wearing a green cocktail dress to a dinner at La Cote Basque Restaurant in 1974. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jackie wears a vibrant yellow gown to the Metropolitan Opera House in 1973. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jackie wears a navy suit with a red bowtie while out with her children in 1971. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jackie looks effortless exiting the cinema in a simple khaki skirt and tucked blouse during the summer of 1981. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
First Lady Jackie Kennedy attends the unveiling ceremonies at the National Gallery of Art in a strapless lavender evening gown and satin elbow length gloves in January of 1963. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis wears a ballgown with a long sleeved sequin top to a gala at the New York Public Library in November of 1986. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Before she was a Kennedy, she was Jacqueline Bouvier. Here, the future Mrs. Kennedy is pictured in a floppy hat and shorts on holiday at the Kennedy compound in 1953. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
In 1989, Jackie Onassis is sighted wearing a yellow sequin skirt paired with a crisp white blazer and pearls in New York. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jackie Onassis attends her daughter Caroline’s wedding wearing a long sleeved mint colored cocktail dress and gloves in 1986. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Watch Natalie Portman explain how she got into character to play Jackie Kennedy:
