Actress Daryl Hannah has criticized the portrayal of her in the FX series "Love Story" about John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, writes UNN with reference to Mashable.
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The series depicts the actress from "Kill Bill" and "Splash" (whose role is played by Dree Hemingway) as superficial, heartless, and desperate in her relationship with John F. Kennedy Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly).
Now, in her article for The New York Times, Hannah expresses disapproval of how the series portrays her as an unwelcome obstacle to John and Carolyn (Sarah Pidgeon) in their relationship.
"A real, living person is not a plot device," Hannah writes. "There's also a gendered dimension to this thinking. Popular culture has long elevated certain women while portraying others as rivals, obstacles, or villains. Isn't it textbook misogyny to demean one woman to elevate another?"
Hannah also refutes many of the most egregious acts her character commits in "Love Story," from snorting cocaine from a Kennedy family heirloom to crashing Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's (Naomi Watts) private memorial service.
"I am appalled by the very fact that I have to defend myself against a TV show," Hannah writes. "This is not just embellishing a personality. These are statements about behavior, and they are false."
Hannah also reveals that in the weeks following the premiere of "Love Story," she received "hostile and even threatening messages" from viewers.
Hannah is not the only person in the orbit of "Love Story" to criticize the series' depiction of real events. Jack Schlossberg, son of Caroline Kennedy (whose role in the series is played by Grace Gummer) and nephew of John Kennedy Jr., has also spoken out on the matter.
In his March 1 appearance on CBS Sunday Morning, Schlossberg criticized "Love Story" executive producer Ryan Murphy.
"If you want to learn about a person who has never met anyone in my family and knows nothing about us, talk to Ryan Murphy," he said.
He added: "This guy doesn't understand what he's talking about and is making a lot of money from a grotesque portrayal of someone else's life."
In her article, Hannah echoes Schlossberg's words, calling "Love Story" "a television series that exploits tragedy."
Addition
"Love Story" is Murphy's latest series to come under fire for its portrayal of real, sensitive events. In 2022, the Netflix documentary "Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" faced criticism from victims' family members, none of whom were consulted about the series.