Sarah Pidgeon Is Learning What It Means to Be Watched

When Sarah Pidgeon auditioned to play Carolyn Bessette Kennedy in Ryan Murphy’s latest installment of Love Story, she wasn’t yet fully steeped in the lore of the late style icon, she admits. “I had a sort of baseline knowledge of her,” Pidgeon tells W’s Editor at Large, Lynn Hirschberg. “I knew that she worked at Calvin Klein. I knew that she was married to JFK Jr. I knew the photos of her.”

Now 29, Pidgeon was just a toddler when Bessette Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr.’s every move was dominating the tabloids, before their tragic deaths in a plane crash in 1999. But the Michigan-born actor, who made waves in the Tony Award–winning Broadway play Stereophonic, quickly learned what it means to portray a woman whose image still inspires obsession. Even before the series premiered, Pidgeon and her costar, Paul Anthony Kelly, found themselves the subject of intense scrutiny. “I’ve never been a part of something that people have taken so personally,” she says. “It’s always nice to be a part of a conversation. Well, I mean, I guess it depends on the conversation.” For our TV portfolio, Pidgeon discusses her theater-kid first kiss, the power of a wig, and the one movie that always makes her cry.

Have you always wanted to act?

I tried soccer. I also tried water polo, but I felt like I was drowning the entire time. I was so bad at sports. Acting was really the thing where I felt like myself. And if this doesn’t work out, I’m totally screwed.

You can sing. You were onstage singing in Stereophonic, which won the Tony Award for best play.

That was such a surreal moment. Thank God I was at the awards ceremony with my mom. I was saying, “Mom, do you see who that is?” And my mom would say, “Who is that?” That was quite grounding for me. And yes, I sang at the Tonys. I was so stressed about singing every night in Stereophonic. There was a specific note that I had to hit that was at the top of my range, and in the show I’m smoking herbal cigarettes, snorting fake cocaine, screaming, crying, and then singing.

Do you get starstruck?

Yeah. I get very nervous. I don't pretend. I am gregarious and I can reveal a lot of personal anecdotes about myself, but I think that is an effort to cover up a sense of shyness. There are some people who I would love to shake hands with.

Like who?

I get a little superstitious to talk about that. It’s like meeting a crush and they know that you have a crush on them. Sometimes that's amazing, but other times that's so mortifying.

Who did you have a crush on growing up?

I liked those Lord of the Rings guys—Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen. I mean, the wigs…I know the power of a wig. Let's just say that much.

Which movie makes you cry?

I love About Time. There's the story between the father and his son, and then, of course, the love story. It's so heartbreaking. Trying to redo a first date over and over until you get it perfectly right because you want them to love you so much. And then at the end, the message of living every day as if it's your last, which I don't think I necessarily do. But whenever I watch that movie, the next day is amazing because you take in, like, every single detail.

Do you have a go-to karaoke song?

I like a little “Life on Mars?” It's a good belty song, but it's right in the range.

Where was your first kiss?

My first kiss was in a rehearsal room. I just turned 13. I was in Cinderella, and the prince kissed me. I did it in front of our director. They were very thoughtful about having it be private between Prince Charming and me, so we didn't have to do it in front of, like, 30 other seventh- and eighth-graders. He's still one of my dear friends. We ended up going to college together. I wrote my college essay—my Common App—essay about it. [The prompt was to] name a challenging time, and I talked about having my first kiss. But after that, it was game over for the rest of the boys. I was ready to mack.

What's your pet peeve?

When people don't bag their groceries at the grocery store. Obviously, there are baggers, but if there's no one there and there's a line behind you, you might as well do it. Trader Joe’s is very fast, especially in the city. They have a system that you don’t really want to mess with. But, I don't know, I like my bags packed in a particular way. I want to make sure that the produce doesn't get bruised.

What sign are you?

I’m a Cancer. The crab. Cancers like their home. I turn 30 this year, and I finally got a big-girl apartment in Brooklyn. It's been really nice, but I still send my mail to my mom's house. She's more responsible than I am.

Hair by Mustafa Yanaz for L’Oréal Professionnel; Paris at Art + Commerce; Makeup by Sam Visser for YSL Beauty at Art Partner; Manicure by Eri Handa for Dior Le Baume at Home Agency; Set design by Mila Taylor-Young. Produced by Prodn; Production Team: Mitch Baker, Noah Conboy, Steven Dam, Torrance Hall, Parker Hanley, Taryn Kelly, Conor McIntyre, Wesley Torrance, Daniel Weiner, Jasmine Williams; Photo Assistants: Keegan Gay, Jeremy Gould, Carlos Vigil; Digital Technician: Kylie Coutts; Fashion Assistants: Lizzie Bowden, Tori López, Kayla Perno, Sofia Prochilo, Celeste Roh, Tyler VanVranken; Tailor: Lindsay Wright; Hair Assistants: Tiana Amani, Harley Beman, Kazuto Shimomura; Makeup Assistants: Elika Hilata, Juan Jaar, Meghan Nguyen, Yuui Vision; Set Assistant: Kate Atkinson.