Paul Anthony Kelly is opening up about his acting journey and nearly quitting before his breakout role in Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.
The 37-year-old actor only appeared in one other project prior to portraying John F Kennedy Jr in the FX series, and before he booked the role, he says he was ready to give up.
“I was ready to give it up days before I got the callback. A year ago today, I had no idea what I was doing. My wife and I had to evacuate [post-fires] and move to where we live now [Portland, Oregon], and we were like, ‘What do we do?’” Paul shared during an actors roundtable with THR. “I was a model at the time. It kept the lights on, but it wasn’t fulfilling. And we were planning on starting a family, which we’ve now done, and I’m Canadian, so we were like, ‘Do we just go back there? The health care is free. The education system’s good. We have family there.’”
“Several days later, I got an email for a callback for John F. Kennedy Jr., the same day that we found out we were pregnant. Thirteen years of no, of getting close to things, it was great practice. But, yeah, it’s wild how quickly things can change,” Paul adds. “The success of this show was just like strapping yourself to a rocket. I never thought it would grow the legs that it did and start running at the speed it has, but I’m so here for it.”
Following Love Story, Paul has now booked two more jobs, including one reuniting him with producer Ryan Murphy.
It was recently announced that Paul has joined the American Horror Story season 13 cast, which features a stacked lineup of stars, many of whom are returning from previous seasons.
Paul was also just announced to be starring in the upcoming The Housemaid sequel, The Housemaid’s Secret!
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