Dree Hemingway Wrote Daryl Hannah Before Playing Her

Nina Jacobson has a rule for producing content that features characters inspired by real life subjects.

“Generally speaking, we don’t engage with the people who are public figures, because you end up either feeling obligated to honor something that they ask you, ‘Please portray me this way, but not that way,’ or you feel that, that you’re having competing versions,” the veteran producer just told The Hollywood Reporter during an interview about her latest project, Ryan Murphy and Connor Hines’ Love Story. “When you take more of a research posture as opposed to a personal interview position, we have found that you get a more dimensional view, even though you are missing the chance to talk to the people themselves.”

The FX series, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, digs deep into the lore of the iconic ’90s power couple and features many real life characters including members of the Kennedy clan like Caroline, Jackie and Ted to boldfaced names like Calvin Klein, Michael Bergin and onetime JFK Jr. girlfriend Daryl Hannah, who Jackie disapproved of.

The latter is played by actress Dree Hemingway, who did not follow Jacobson’s general rule of not engaging — but for good reason. Hannah is a friend of her famous mother, actress Mariel Hemingway, and though she’s never met the star of Splash and Kill Bill, she adores her anyway. During a red carpet interview at THR’s Nominees Night bash at Chateau Marmont, Hemingway explained why she wrote Hannah a “love note” with no expectations for a response, how she feels about watching herself on screen and why she owes Sean Baker her career.

Congratulations on Love Story. How did you approach playing Daryl Hannah?

I mean, I love her so much. It’s an incredible and iconic shoe to fill, but Ryan [Murphy] and Connor Hines, who wrote everything, were so great at characterizing Daryl. The show is definitely told from a fictional aspect because don’t know what happened [behind closed doors]. But it was amazing. She’s amazing. I love her.

Do you know her personally?

I don’t know her personally. My mother knows her. Our paths haven’t crossed yet, but hopefully in the future. I would love that.

Did you reach out at all?

I reached out. I have no expectations of her reaching out to me in any way, but I basically wrote her a love note of how much I appreciate her as a woman, as an actress, and what an honor of my life this has been.

That’s very sweet of you to do that. Were you friends with Ryan Murphy before this?

No, I wasn’t friends with Ryan before. I love him. He’s such a genius. I’ve been a huge fan from afar, and when I was asked to audition for this part, I was like, “Yes!”

Watching the first episode, it’s so easy to fall back into that time and into this story. How did you feel when you watched it?

They were our living Romeo and Juliet. It was also such an iconic time — the ‘90s in New York. The fashion was amazing. The music was amazing, and there wasn’t the internet. It’s cool, and it still has this mystery. I think that’s why this show is so great and why it can be such a creative fiction is because it was during that time.

How are you watching yourself on screen?

I have moments where I’m really critical, and then sometimes it’s easier for me to step away and see it as an art form. This show, for me, is one that I can very much step back from and view. I am still nervous as hell.

What’s been the most unexpected moment that’s happened for you so far in your career?

Sean Baker is responsible for my most unexpected moment [with Starlet]. I really owe my whole entire career to him.

What a great person to owe your career to, too, by the way. He’s such a good guy and also keeps his artists around him that he’s worked with.

He is still my friend to this day, and I think he’s so brilliant and really salt-of-the-Earth.

I went to see Charli xcx’s The Moment here in L.A. and saw him sitting next to Simon Rex. He maintains relationships with his actors and collaborators and that’s cool to see.

He creates real bonds. He’s in this for life. He’s so creative and such a rooter for film and that’s why I love him so much.