NEED TO KNOW
A new docuseries from CNN is ready to tell “the real story” of the life of John F. Kennedy Jr.
Born to John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy on Nov. 25, 1960, just weeks after his father won the presidential election, Kennedy was “the biggest celebrity in America when he was conceived,” says historian Steve Gillon in PEOPLE’s exclusive first look at the trailer for American Prince: JFK Jr.
He grew up in his early years as the prince of “Camelot,” crawling under his father’s desk in the Oval Office. But after JFK’s assassination in 1963, life would never be the same for “John-John.”
CNN’s three-part series assembles an intimate look at JFK Jr., through extensive archival footage and interviews with family and famous friends including Robert De Niro, Cindy Crawford, Carole Radziwill, and Graydon Carter.
Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty
Those close to JFK Jr. note that he was more of a “free spirit” than the previous generation of buttoned-up Kennedys, though they also explain how his mother raised him to be “media savvy” for his life in the spotlight.
“There’s less room for error,” Crawford observes in the trailer.
A candid moment from a September 1995 interview JFK Jr. did with Larry King gives viewers a preview of how he handled his massive legacy.
“It’s very good to be the son of a legend,” King says definitively of Jr.’s famous father.
After a beat, he replies with a smile, admitting, “It’s complicated.”
Watch the full trailer below:
American Prince will also explore Kennedy’s whirlwind romance with Carolyn Bessette.
The couple first met in 1992 when Bessette was working for Calvin Klein and was assigned the task of giving Kennedy a private tour and fitting. After dating for two years, they married in September 1996 in a private ceremony on Cumberland Island, Ga., with a few members of Kennedy’s family in attendance.
On July 16, 1999, Kennedy and Bessette died in a plane crash while JFK Jr. was flying his wife and her sister, Lauren, from New Jersey en route to Martha’s Vineyard.
“There were so many people who wanted John to fail,” the trailer warns. “There was enormous pressure.”
American Prince: JFK Jr. premieres Saturday, Aug. 9, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CNN.
The love story of JFK Jr. and Bessette is also set to play out in a new scripted series from Ryan Murphy, American Love Story, which is currently in production. Hollywood newcomer Paul Kelly plays the famous first son, alongside The Wilds star Sarah Pidgeon as his bride.
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The series will also star Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy, Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy, Sydney Lemmon as Lauren Bessette and Alessandro Nivola as Calvin Klein.
