What new perspectives or previously unseen archival materials does the documentary reveal about John F. Kennedy Jr.’s private and public life that distinguish this from past documentaries or films about him?
What I loved most about making this project was learning how there were really two Johns — the Kennedy and the person. As we spent more time talking to his friends and early coworkers, we found that he really took his duties as a Kennedy seriously but very much wanted to live as a “normal” person, who could live freely in NYC, work in whatever industry he saw fit and be a free spirit. The complexities of that dual life are something that haven’t been looked at but are extremely fascinating in terms of how complicated his life really was. The series really examines the multi-faceted person who made up the very nuanced and complicated person that was John F. Kennedy Jr.
In your opinion, what enduring impact did JFK Jr. leave on American media, politics and culture?
John does not always get credit as a great political thinker, but George was ahead of its time. He saw the potential collision of politics and pop culture and created George to bridge the gap and find common ground between these two worlds. That is squarely the world that we live in now, there is no separation, and he saw that before many others. His experience as a member of the most politically elite family and as the world’s most famous bachelor in pop culture allowed him the foresight that others couldn’t possibly have.
What do you think is the significance of this story in today’s current political climate?
John left a lingering hole in our imagination. Like if John was alive… would we live in a world where he led us? Just as his father had a generation before? He is a reminder of a simpler time and ultimately, he has been mythologized in such a way that many believe he would have been our president and that the entire course of history could be changed. He is hope. Something that many Americans desperately need.
