See Naomi Watts' striking transformation into Jackie Kennedy in new 'American Love Story' photos
From Babe Paley to Jackie Kennedy, Naomi Watts is in her mid-century icon era.
New images of the fêted British star from the set of Ryan Murphy's upcoming American Love Story show her transformed into famed First Lady. Watts traded her signature cool blond waves for a structured, chestnut-colored bob wrapped up in a chic, silken headscarf in the photos taken in in New York City's Central Park on Aug. 4.
Watts was joined by costar Paul Kelly, who will portray John F. Kennedy Jr., one half of the couple that give the series its title. Sarah Pidgeon, who recently appeared in the I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot, is set to star opposite Kelly as Carolyn Bessette, a fashion publicist and the junior Kennedy's wife.
The Mulholland Drive star was also flanked by Grace Gummer - the daughter of Meryl Streep - who will portray Jackie's daughter and John-John's sister Caroline.American Love Story will chronicle Kennedy and Bessette's highly-publicized relationship and four-year marriage, which was tragically cut short when the couple died in a 1999 plane crash.
In a now-deleted social media post finally announcing the series, which had been the subject of buzz for months, Murphy revealed that the series had begun shooting in mid June, adding, "[I] can't wait until you see the romantic and tragic love story between America's prince, JFK Jr., and fashion icon Carolyn Bessette... Over a thousand actors auditioned for each of these roles, and we absolutely found the perfect choices."
Watts recently appeared in not one but two of Murphy's TV projects, and is also slated for a fourth after American Love Story. The actress appeared in all seven episodes and executive produced the Murphy miniseries The Watcher in 2022, and is looking forward to All's Fair, a legal drama costarring Kim Kardashian, Niecy Nash, and Glenn Close, among others.
Last year, she led the cast of Feud: Capote vs. The Swans as the immortal socialite Babe Paley. Watts summoned all the smothered rage she could muster and filtered it through the icy prism of petty bourgeois in-fighting for her performance as the famed magazine editor - a performance which ultimately earned her the first Emmy nomination of her career.
Reflecting on playing Paley to Entertainment Weekly in 2024, Watts shared, "Everything she thought about was planned: how she plans a dinner party and who was there. Who's sitting next to each other? Where does the fork go? What are the fabrics of the napkins? Do the candles smell right? All of these things that created such a huge amount of planning, but nothing was left for herself so often. This was how she was raised. She came from a family where the women were there to serve their husbands and nothing else."
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Buzz Feed
2 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
'90s Celebs Who Disappeared
Recently, I asked the BuzzFeed Community to share which '90s stars once seemed destined for greatness but have since faded from the spotlight — whether by choice or not. Here are 16 of their top responses: "Skeet Ulrich." —angrygoose681 Skeet was a '90s horror icon with his roles in Scream and The Craft. He continued to work steadily, but after his twins were born in 2001, he made them his priority. In 2005, he got a divorce and won custody of the kids, so he decided to be a stay-at-home single dad because he could afford it. In 2019, he told Fatherly, "Being a parent has driven me to make the decisions I've made. I did work, but I would only work in Los Angeles until Riverdale. The kids would be there with me. I hired a nanny once when I was doing the first season of Jericho. They were starting kindergarten, and I hired a nanny once more when I did Law & Order. That's it. A screaming kid is screaming for boundaries, screaming for something they know. They need a parent to step up." "Stuart Townsend, but that's his own fault because that ego is too big." —justineh4c2cc065d With his star on the rise, Stuart was set to play Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings in the early '00s. However, one day before filming began, he was replaced by Viggo Mortensen. He was reportedly fired for being difficult to work with, and Ian McKellan allegedly asked him if he even wanted to be there. However, Stuart has a different opinion on what happened. In 2005, he told Entertainment Weekly, "Two weeks ago I finally read an article where the filmmakers said, ''We were totally wrong about Stuart, and we accept that it was our fault,' which was so nice because I did get shafted up the ass. I was there rehearsing and training for two months, then was fired the day before filming began. After that, I was told they wouldn't pay me because I was in breach of contract due to not having worked long enough. I had been having a rough time with them, so I was almost relieved to be leaving until they told me I wouldn't be paid. I have no good feelings for those people in charge, I really don't. The director [Peter Jackson] wanted me and then apparently thought better of it because he really wanted someone 20 years older than me and completely different." "Rick Moranis is a famous example of this, albeit a bit more '80s than '90s. He had a very successful career, including Ghostbusters, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (and its sequels), Little Shop of Horrors, etc., but then he slowed down his work after his wife died of cancer so he could be a more attentive single parent to their two kids. Now the kids are grown, and we're all anxiously awaiting his return to our screens with the Spaceballs sequel! Also — shout out to his Barney Rubble in the live action Flintstones movie (it's worth a Google to remember that killer cast)." —braccolirob In 2015, Rick told the Hollywood Reporter, "I took a break, which turned into a longer break. But I'm interested in anything that I would find interesting. I still get the occasional query about a film or television role...I was working with really interesting people, wonderful people [in Hollywood]. I went from that to being at home with a couple of little kids, which is a very different lifestyle. But it was important to me. I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. My life is wonderful." "Jonathan Taylor Thomas for sure! He was super talented and had that X factor about him. I wish he would make a comeback. The actor who played Jill on Home Improvement [Patricia Richardson] was on a podcast last year where she said she still spoke to him and said he has no desire to return to acting, and I respect him for that. I hope he is living his best life." —Anonymous, 39, Tennessee Jonathan exited Home Improvement before the series ended, appearing in only three episodes of the final season. Trading acting for academia, he attended Columbia, Harvard, and St. Andrew's University. In 2013, he told People, "I'd been going nonstop since I was 8 years old. I wanted to go to school, to travel, and have a bit of a sit in a big library amongst books and students — that was pretty cool. It was a novel experience for me." "Jamie Walters is now a firefighter, IIRC. He had a hit single and seemed to be a rising star, but he played Donna Martin's abusive boyfriend on 90210 so well that it damaged his career. He seemingly couldn't get hired." —abby-rose Jamie quit acting to become a firefighter in Los Angeles. In 2024, he told The US Sun, "A lot of years have gone by, and I don't think people are expecting when the fire department shows up that the guy in uniform might be somebody from a TV show in the '90s. I'm thankful that I was able to switch gears and do something that I'm proud of and that my kids find interesting and cool. I still have a lot of friends that are in that business, but it's a tough business. Unless you're doing well, it's a struggle to raise a family." "I started having second thoughts about this [acting] career path, and I'd always been interested in becoming a firefighter. The more I researched, I was like, oh man, it's hard to get this job. This is really competitive. It took like three years, the process, from the time you take the written and you have medical exams, background checks, psychological, more physical agility checks. I finally got my job offer to come to the training academy in 2003," he said. "Jasmine Guy." —Bulky-Cauliflower921 Best known for A Different World, Jasmine has continued working, mainly in smaller TV roles and made-for-TV movies. Following her divorce in 2008, she relocated to Atlanta with her daughter. In 2010, she told Creative Loafing, "I wasn't working enough in LA and kept leaving LA to work. When my daughter was younger, I had no issue with taking her out of preschool, since I know my colors and my ABCs, and could teach her those. But once she got older – she's 10 years old now – I had to decide what's the best lifestyle for her. Atlanta is easier for transportation, money, food, rent, jobs. And I found it more loving, more embracing. Because I grew up here, I knew what will happen for a young person who lives here. I found LA to be a more separate city, and I hated that separation. I want her to grow up around all kinds of people." "Bridget Fonda." —AllyBILM According to the Independent, Bridget Fonda retired from acting in 2002. She had actually signed on to a recurring role on The Practice in 2003, but after "miraculously" surviving a car accident a few weeks before the series went into production, she was replaced. In 2023, she reportedly told a paparazzo at an airport that she wouldn't return to acting because "it's too nice being a civilian." "Shane McDermott. A handful of TV appearances and one movie (with Jack Black and Seth Green), and he noped right out of Hollywood and became a realtor." —luxahoy Shane became known for his roles in Airborne, All My Children, and Swans Crossing. However, he reportedly stopped acting because he wanted to lead a simpler life and start a family. Now based in Texas, he's an artist as well as a realtor. "Leelee Sobieski. She was hugely popular in the '90s with films such as Deep Impact and Never Been Kissed. Then she retired from acting in the 2010s to focus on her family and art career. —gaelicmaiden In 2018, Leelee told AnOther, "A lot of the time when you work, it's a money project basically. I started paying the rent on our house when I was 15, so I had a lot of pressure and things got complicated for me… So when I could, I stopped. It's kind of a gross industry – well, they all are, when you examine them – but in acting, you're selling your appearance so much. I would cry every time I had to kiss somebody; I couldn't stomach it. I would think, 'I like this person, so I don't think they should pay me to kiss them,' or 'I don't like this person, so I don't want to kiss them. Why is my kiss for sale?' It made me feel really cheap." "It didn't matter whether people thought it was an admirable thing to do – in my soul I thought, 'My kiss is not for sale' – it might have been acting, but it was real for me as it was my first or third kiss, so it was confusing for me. I don't know why it's legal for a child to act unless they can sell oranges or whatever legally too. It's a crazy double standard, and that's super weird for me. Now that the #MeToo movement has come forward, people understand more that it's pretty gross and uncomfortable," she said. "Richard Grieco." —Jock7373 Richard is known for his roles in 21 Jump Street, Mobsters, and If Looks Could Kill. While he's done a few smaller acting roles over the years, he's also become known for his paintings. He describes his work as "Abstract Emotionalism." In 2012, he told Chron, "Dennis Hopper told me my artwork was too good to just hang on walls. He said I needed to get out and show it." "Richey Edwards." —lovelychicken23 The Main Street Preachers' lyricist and rhythm guitarist was known for his incredible talent as well as his outspokenness about social issues. However, he also very publicly dealt with mental health issues. In 1995, the day before the band's US tour was set to kick off, he disappeared. He left his hotel in London, dropped his passport, prescription, and credit card at his home in Cardiff, then drove to a service station near a bridge in the small town of Aust. The car was found at the station, but Richey was never seen again. In 2008, he was legally declared dead — something his parents had the option to do since 2002, but they held out hope that he'd faked his own death to escape the pressure of the spotlight. "Didn't Jason Patric kinda fizzle out?" —waxmuseums "Jason Patric decided very early on in his career that he wasn't interested in being famous at all — that happened when he dated Julia Roberts, and the spotlight was on both of them for a minute. He's still working in films today, and definitely had the talent and good looks to be a bigger star, but he maintained that he was just happier without the fame thing. There are some actors who love the work but just prefer not to be in the spotlight." —sappydark In 1992, while he was still dating Julia, Jason told the Oklahoman, "It's a persona that one has to deal with that's largely speculative and out of control. I don't subscribe to People magazine, and I don't know what George and Edna think in Illinois, but I haven't been invited over anyway. I've been forced into a glare at times that certainly was not my creation... The idea is that because you have fame or money, you have no right to privacy, that somehow that's been forfeited. If you go to the other end of the spectrum and say someone who makes under $20,000 a year has no protection and no privacy, you'd have your head handed to you. The idea of the human being has been forced out the window." And in 2003, he told the Irish Independent, "I knew dating [Julia] would be trouble. I just didn't know how much of an impact it would have on my privacy, because I'm such a private person. What happened was the ultimate nightmare. I'd worked for six years on my career to be as anonymous as possible, and in the space of a few weeks, I was one of the most public people in the world just because I was dating a famous person who enjoyed being in the media spotlight. There is celebrity that comes with fame. There's no question about it. I don't bemoan that. However, don't come into my house, don't bother me at a non-public event. But if I use my personal life to advance my fame, then I owe you my personal life. If I invite People magazine to the wedding, then they're invited to the divorce as well." "Edward Furlong." —Tasty-Celery9082 After rising to fame in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Edward reached teen idol status in the '90s. However, in the following decades, his career declined to mainly straight-to-DVD releases as he faced a series of substance abuse problems and legal issues, including a DUI and several alleged instances of domestic abuse. When he returned to the Terminator franchise in 2019, the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence director of programs, Jacquie Marroquin, told the Hollywood Reporter, "It's important not to sweep Edward Furlong's reported history of domestic violence under the rug just because he's returning to a beloved movie role... There are consequences for survivors, who may think twice about seeking help when they see people who harm gaining fame or power without being held accountable by their fans and peers." "Anybody remember Dan Cortese, the rock climbing himbo from Seinfeld?" —Aromatic-Bath-5689 Dan has worked consistently, but he dealt with typecasting. In 2009, he told Greg in Hollywood, "It is one of those things with television where it's, 'Dan's great at playing the good-looking, dumb guy, that's what he does. If you need a good-looking, dumb guy who can hit his mark and hit the punchline, he's your guy.' It is tough to play against type... I always want to play against type. The fact that I've basically made my living as a television actor. In television, you tend to get pigeonholed, where they'll be like, 'You know who we need for this? We need Dan because Dan plays that guy.' But I would love to have like a film role where I could play completely against type. I love dark movies; I like dark comedies. Anything like that." "Kari Wuhrer played the part of Gina Lempke in the Stephen King movie Thinner (1996) and was a part of the ensemble in Anaconda (1997). She also spent a year on Beverly Hills, 90210 in the mid-'90s. But I can't tell you the last time I heard her name." —Anonymous, 41, Pennsylvania Kari was a working actor through the '90s, '00s, and 2010s. She last appeared in the made-for-TV movie Fiancé Killer in 2018. She's active on Instagram, where she shares her life as a dedicated mother. And finally: "Jewel — she was so major, like Taylor Swift! And now nothing…" Jewel took a two-year hiatus following the success of her second album, and she later took a seven-year break before releasing her most recent album in 2022. She told Spin, "I couldn't psychologically adjust to the amount of fame that I got to. By the time I was on the cover of TIME, it didn't work for me. It was really psychologically crushing, and so giving myself two years to contemplate, 'How do I do this? Can I do this? Does this make me happy?' and developing a career and a strategy that upheld my number one goal, which was to make sure my mental health was the priority. Then my number two goal was I want to make the records I want, how I want, in the genre I want, that's going to be how it is. It's going to be an adventure." "The choices I made in my career, especially in the '90s, were considered suicidal–career suicide. Taking two years off at the height of my fame was a huge no-no. Switching genres was a huge no-no, but it's what I needed to do to keep myself psychologically healthy and creatively healthy. I had to deal with a lot of people saying, 'Oh, she's washed-up. She doesn't know what to do for her third album.' Completely misunderstood, and to make sure that didn't bother me, and that's your decision. It has to be water off a duck's back. You persevere because you believe you made the right decision," she said. Are there any other actors you thought would be major stars, but their careers never quite took off? Let us know in the comments (or in the anonymous comments box below)! Note: Some responses have been edited for length/clarity. Do you love all things TV and movies? Subscribe to the Screen Time newsletter to get your weekly dose of what to watch next and what everyone is flailing over from someone who watches everything!
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Memoir from Oct. 7 hostage Eli Sharabi will reveal shocking abuse — and unimaginable news he learned after his release
The harrowing memoir of Eli Sharabi, who endured 491 days in Hamas captivity, will be released in English on October 7 — the second anniversary of the terror group's brutal 2023 attack on Israel. 'Hostage,' first published in Hebrew earlier this year, has become the fastest-selling book in Israeli history, offering a powerful firsthand account of Sharabi's kidnapping from Kibbutz Be'eri and the discovery that his wife and children had been killed. He endured starvation, isolation, beatings and psychological abuse at the hands of his captors. The Post can exclusively reveal the cover of the book, published by Harper Influence, an imprint of HarperCollins. Advertisement Until his release in February, Sharabi was fueled by the desire to be reunited with his British-born wife, Lianne, and daughters, Noiya, 16, and Yahel, 13 — only to discover they had been killed by Hamas terrorists, and that his brother Yossi died in captivity. 7 Sharabi was held hostage by Hamas for almost 500 days. AP 7 Sharabi's captors shot his dog and killed his wife, Lianne (right), and teenage daughters Yahel (second from left) and Noiya. Instagram / @eli_is_home_bring_yossi_back Advertisement 'When I came back and hear that they were murdered five minutes after I was kidnapped, I can't understand the situation and I demand answers,' he told N12 in June. 'I want to see them, I want to hug them, I want to draw strength from them, I want to show them that I'm okay, that I'm no longer a poster.' 7 The publisher said the cover photo 'reveals the eyes of a man who has seen the darkest depths of hell, but refuses to give up.' Sharabi has said his time in Gaza was spent enduring Hamas' cruelty while 164 feet underground, his body wrapped in 'chains so tight, they ripped my skin,' alongside fellow hostages Alon Ohel and Or Levy. Advertisement He was emaciated and weighed a mere 97 pounds at the time of his release. Speaking before the UN Security Council in New York in March, Sharabi told world leaders that Hamas has ransacked the aid meant for hostages and Gaza's civilian population, enjoying the spoils while everyone around them suffers. 7 Sharabi was taken from his home at Kibbutz Be'eri, much of which was destroyed in the attacks. Getty Images 'Hamas eats like kings, while hostages starve,' said Sharabi, whose appearance shocked the world when he was released back in February. Advertisement Sharabi said Hamas would only give him 'a piece of pita' bread to eat, along with 'a sip of tea.' As he endured brutal beatings and relentless mockery from the terrorists, Sharabi said his will was nearly broken when Hamas terrorists laughed just before his release as they broke the news that his brother, Yossi, had been killed in captivity. 7 In front of the UN Security Council, Sharabi described being chained, beaten and starved by his captors. Getty Images 'It was like they brought a massive hammer down on me,' Sharabi told the UN. He was ultimately released as part of the first phase of a cease-fire deal that saw 29 other hostages and the bodies of eight Israelis returned to the country. 'I wrote the book to reach people, to give back, to show that no matter how difficult it is, you can always choose, no matter what cards life deals you, it is in your hands, always, in every moment, the choice to die, and the choice to live,' he previously said, according to the Jerusalem Post. 7 Sharabi (center, with his brother Sharon and a sister) was released in February along with two other hostages. He weighed less than 100 pounds. Israel Gpo/UPI/Shutterstock Advertisement 7 US President Trump compared Sharabi (second from left) and other former hostages to 'Holocaust survivors' after the trio was freed. Instagram / @ Harper Influencer publisher and SVP Lisa Sharkey said the picture on the front cover of the English version 'reveals the eyes of a man who has seen the darkest depths of hell, but refuses to give up. 'They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This photo of Eli Sharabi, moments before his release, looking frail, gaunt, starved, and deeply afraid, this picture shows the 491 days of heartbreak he spent in captivity, after being kidnapped by the Hamas terrorists who murdered his family on October 7,' she said.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Actor son of murder-suicide victim issues stepdad funeral plea
An actor whose mother was the victim of a murder-suicide in France has urged her friends not to attend his stepdad's funeral. Callum Kerr, who appeared in Hollyoaks and Netflix's Virgin River, said it would be "inappropriate" for the memory of his mother, Dawn Searle, to be associated with her husband Andrew Searle. The couple's bodies were discovered by a neighbour at their country home in the Aveyron region on 6 February. The prosecutor in charge of the case previously told the BBC it was murder followed by suicide and there was no evidence that another person was involved. The statement, issued on Kerr's Instagram account on behalf of the actor and his sister Amanda, comes more than six months after the couple were found dead. It is unclear why it has taken so long for Mr Searle's body to be released by the French authorities or when his funeral is scheduled to take place. Deaths of British couple in France treated as murder-suicide Actor's grief after mum and husband die in France French prosecutors confirm how British couple died Mr Kerr, who is also a country singer in the US, and his sister said that while the investigation into the deaths was ongoing they "cannot ignore the circumstances as they stand". The statement continued: "For this reason, we must respectfully but firmly request that our mother not be included in any way in the funeral arrangements being made for Andrew." They urged friends of their mother's not to attend the ceremony and asked people not to share photographs of Mr and Mrs Searle together. The statement concluded: "It would be inappropriate for her memory to be associated with a service honouring the man who, based on all available evidence, may have been responsible for her death. "We ask for understanding, privacy and respect as we continue to grieve and seek justice for our mum." Mrs Searle's body was found in the garden of the couple's property in the hamlet of Les Pesquiès, with severe wounds to her head. Mr Searle's body was found inside their home, about an hour north of Toulouse. Police were alerted to the incident by a neighbour who had gone to check on them when they failed to turn up for a planned dog walk. Post-mortem examinations confirmed Mrs Searle suffered "multiple blows to the head with a blunt and sharp-edged object" while Mr Searle died from hanging. Mrs Searle, 56, grew up in Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders, and Mr Searle, 62, was originally from England. They previously lived in Musselburgh, near Edinburgh, and married in France in 2023. Prosecutors said they had lived in the Aveyron region for five years. According to his LinkedIn page, Mr Searle previously worked in financial crime prevention at companies including Standard Life and Barclays Bank.
