Holding on before 'Love Story': who helped Paul Anthony Kelly keep his acting dreams alive
Ahead of his Love Story breakthrough, Paul Anthony Kelly says one person’s encouragement kept him going — and he’s crediting them.
Days before his phone rang with the offer that would change everything, Paul Anthony Kelly was on the couch with his wife, Syd Widziszewski-Kelly, tallying up 13 years of near-misses and talking seriously about quitting acting — even moving back to Canada. As he tells it now, that low point became the hinge his career swung on.
“I remember sitting on the couch and talking to her and I was like, ‘I don’t think this is going to happen. It’s been this long. I’ve been at it for a decade,’” he told PEOPLE. “And she’s like, ‘well, we’re still here. So keep at it,’” he added, saying he’s glad she told him to “stick it out.”
Not long after, Kelly landed the role of John F. Kennedy Jr. in Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, Ryan Murphy’s anthology entry revisiting the famous couple’s whirlwind romance and the glare that came with it. Playing an American icon pushed Kelly squarely into the spotlight — a hard left turn from where he was just days earlier.
What’s next
The JFK Jr. breakout has already led to more work — including another Murphy project and a big-screen turn:
- American Horror Story Season 13 — Kelly has joined the ensemble, extending his collaboration with Murphy.
- The Housemaid ’s Secret — he’s set to appear in the upcoming film alongside Sydney Sweeney and Kirsten Dunst.
Earlier we wrote: Audition fight: Jesse Tyler Ferguson says they didn't want to see him for Modern Family