Love Story star Paul Anthony Kelly looks unrecognisable with shaggy hair, a nose ring and 30 tattoos after transforming into clean cut John F. Kennedy Jr. for hit show

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Paul Anthony Kelly, known for his role in Love Story, shared how he prepared to portray John F. Kennedy Jr. in the popular series.

Recent Instagram photos reveal the model-actor with a more casual look – shaggy hair and a nose ring – as he shares glimpses of his everyday life in Portland.

Paul, age 37, often shows off his many tattoos in photos, and recently shared that it took makeup artists more than an hour each day on the set of his FX/Hulu show to hide them.

The actress, a former international model for two decades, completely changed her appearance to portray the famous figure and prepare for the role of JFK Jr.

He quickly gained weight, increasing his suit size by two sizes in just three weeks. He did this to look more like John F. Kennedy, after having maintained a much slimmer physique for about twenty years.

I was so impressed with how dedicated he was! As soon as he found out he’d landed the role, just weeks before filming started in New York, he completely transformed his workouts. He started getting up at 4:30 every morning to do really intense weightlifting, specifically focusing on building up his chest and back. It was amazing to see his commitment!

The final minor, but integral, part of his physical transformation was his hair.

Paul revealed he was having tiny hair pieces added to his head each day while filming, explaining, ‘I’m getting older, and my hairline isn’t as full as it used to be – not like John-John’s.’

The changes worked well, with viewers commenting on how much the actor resembled John F. Kennedy Jr. His performance has also been highly praised, which is especially impressive given that his only prior acting experience before ‘Love Story’ was a small part in a few episodes of the Canadian TV show ‘Body Language,’ which aired from 2008 to 2010.

Paul confessed he’d always dreamed of becoming an actor, but it took him ten years of auditions to finally make the transition from modeling.

The day he got a callback for the Love Story role was incredibly important for a different reason altogether.

In a December 2025 interview with Interview Magazine, Paul shared that the day he received a callback from his producer coincided with the wonderful news that he and his wife were expecting their first child.

He explained that he was on a Zoom call when his wife told him they were expecting a baby, just before they were about to celebrate their second wedding anniversary. He jokingly added that May 1st was a particularly memorable day.

The next day, his agent called with good news: they wanted him to audition with Sarah Pidgeon, who had already been chosen to play Carolyn Bessette, to see if they had chemistry on screen.

A few weeks after the shoot in New York wrapped up, Paul and his wife, Syd Widziszewski-Kelly, intended to return to their home in Portland and prepare for the arrival of their baby, who was due on January 7th.

Paul has generally kept his personal life private, and he did so throughout his two-year marriage to production manager Syd. He only recently confirmed they had a baby, revealing the news during an appearance on the Kelly Clarkson Show.

Paul publicly celebrated his marriage to Syd by posting a series of photos on Instagram just two weeks after the initial episodes of their show, Love Story, were released.

He expressed his deep love, saying he couldn’t live without her and promising a lasting future together. Fans were delighted by his public display of affection, with one commenting that they admire how he makes his partner feel safe and cherished while quickly becoming a popular figure.

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2026-03-10 19:19