Paul Anthony Kelly Plays JFK Jr Like A Choirboy But His Real Body Tells A Very Different
Paul Anthony Kelly looks like every clean-cut Kennedy poster boy on screen. In real life, he is covered in ink. The actor who plays John F. Kennedy Jr. on FX’s Love Story has more than 30 tattoos, and a viral behind-the-scenes video shows exactly what it takes to make every one of them vanish before the cameras roll.
Paul Anthony Kelly the man that you are pic.twitter.com/8tVPDyl7UI
— Male Central (@TheMale_Central) April 9, 2026
The footage came from makeup department head Milagros Cerdeira, who posted the airbrush prep on Instagram. “Transforming Paul Anthony Kelly into JFK Jr. for #LoveStoryFX, episode 2,” she captioned the clip, which has been reshared across X and TikTok by fan accounts hooked on the contrast.
This limited series chronicles the intense romance, high-profile marriage, and tragic deaths of JFK Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly) and Carolyn Bessette (Sarah Pidgeon). The drama explores their whirlwind courtship, media obsession, and 1999 plane crash
— petezslims (@petezslims) April 12, 2026
📺: Love Story: John F. Kennedy… https://t.co/C2TcyU0M4n pic.twitter.com/qNdWpZgZ5Z
Meet the Actor Playing JFK Jr.
Paul Anthony Kelly is the breakout name from Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, the Ryan Murphy series that landed on FX and Hulu on 12 February 2026. He stars opposite Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, with Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy and Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy.
Kelly was barely a known name when he booked the role. He had spent roughly 13 years pursuing acting before the JFK Jr. part finally landed, according to his Gold Derby interview. The show has done numbers since launch. It pulled more than 25 million viewing hours across Hulu and Disney+ in its first five episodes and currently sits at 81 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Tattoo Cover-Up Takes Hours
Ryan Murphy productions are not exactly known for keeping their leading men dressed. So when the script calls for a shirtless scene, an intimate moment, or one of those slow lingering camera moves, the makeup department has to bring in serious reinforcements.
Kelly told GQ that full body makeup adds two to two-and-a-half hours to his prep on top of his usual call time. The technique involves layered airbrush makeup, careful colour matching to his natural skin tone, and patient blending so the ink does not bleed through under set lighting.
The footage Cerdeira shared shows the process in motion. It is one part magic trick, one part technical sport.
“Transforming Paul Anthony Kelly into JFK Jr. for #LoveStoryFX, episode 2.”
— Paul Anthony Kelly Central (@paulkellyorg) May 20, 2026
Milagros Cerdeira | Instagram. pic.twitter.com/hqpDejtlui
Kelly’s Real-Life Look Is a Lot Edgier
Scroll back through Kelly’s older modelling photos and you find a different person entirely. Long curls, a nose ring, and ink running across his chest, arms and torso. The aesthetic sits much closer to East Village musician than Cape Cod heir.
Which makes the casting even sharper. The man you see on camera is genuinely a built-from-scratch version of the man underneath. That is the work.
He Has Actually Thought About Laser Removal
Here is the bit that caught us off guard. Kelly told GQ that some of his tattoos are “aggressive” and that he has thought about getting them removed for real. Not because of any one role. Just because.
He has not pulled the trigger yet. Given how much attention the cover-up videos are generating online, the makeup team might be quietly hoping he holds off a while longer.
Next Stop, American Horror Story Season 13
The Ryan Murphy machine is not letting him go anytime soon. Kelly has been confirmed for the cast of American Horror Story season 13, which premieres on FX and Hulu this fall. The reveal happened at Disney’s upfront presentation in New York, where Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd and Gabourey Sidibe took the stage surrounded by hooded Druids before Kelly stepped out and pulled off his mask.
“I guess every nightmare needs fresh blood, and thirteen’s my lucky number,” he said.
He joins a returning roster that includes Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Leslie Grossman and, in a piece of casting that more or less broke gay Twitter, Ariana Grande. Smooth. A little unsettling. Very on brand for Murphy.
What makes Kelly interesting right now is that he has not been over-exposed. Audiences are still meeting him role by role. One week he is the polished JFK Jr. picture. The next he is a heavily inked model with a Druid cult standing behind him on a stage.
That kind of range is hard to fake. Based on what he has lined up next, he will not be a newcomer for much longer.
