Sarah Pidgeon Shares Rigorous Journey to Becoming Carolyn Bessette Kennedy

Actress Sarah Pidgeon underwent a significant hair transformation to portray Carolyn Bessette Kennedy for her role in the FX series “Love Story.” The process required over 20 hours across two days to change her naturally dark brown hair to Bessette Kennedy's signature blond.

The Transformation Process

Pidgeon described the transition as essential for getting into character, despite the challenges posed by having psoriasis. She mentioned that the intense lightening treatment demanded careful attention to avoid aggravating her skin condition.

The lengthy time spent on the transformation also helped Pidgeon leave behind part of her own identity to fully embrace the role of Bessette Kennedy. Her character’s look evolves over the course of the series, starting with more curly and dimensional hair and becoming straighter and blonder as the show progresses.

Bessette Kennedy's Iconic Look

Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's real-life colorist, Brad Johns, discussed how integral her buttery blond shade was to her identity. He famously used his chunking technique to achieve this look, despite initial concerns about production images during filming for "American Love Story." Johns refused to dye Bessette Kennedy's hair black shortly before her wedding, opting instead to enhance the blond features.

Pidgeon's Commitment

Pidgeon plans to maintain her new blond look after investing significant time and effort into achieving it for her portrayal of Bessette Kennedy. This change was crucial not just for visual accuracy but also for personal transformation into her character on screen.