Niki Cruz
You might recognize actress Constance Zimmer for her jaw-dropping moments and quick one-liners as exec producer Quinn King in Lifetime’s UnREAL or studio exec Dana Gordon in HBO’s Entourage. Zimmer, who has worked in the industry as a character actress for decades, is often known for playing powerful businesswomen who command respect in a man’s world with zeal.
In FX’s Love Story, Zimmer gets to reintroduce herself playing Ann Marie Messina, the real-life mother of the late Carolyn and Lauren Bessette, who tragically perished with JFK Jr in a plane crash. While most of the cast got a chance to dig deep beyond the icons they’re portraying, Zimmer is tasked with portraying a woman who, though documented, isn’t part of the mainstream narrative, and whose private pain was eclipsed by the larger-than-life figures in her orbit.
For Zimmer, it was the opportunity to lead with vulnerability, diving into the depths of grief as Ann suffers the unimaginable loss of her daughters, Carolyn and Lauren Bessette. The result is an award-worthy performance, that’s equal parts grounded and heartbreaking.
In the series, you get the sense that Ann might have already been grieving the loss of her daughter before her tragic death. It’s on display as she gives a powerful speech at the rehearsal dinner the night before Carolyn Bessette is set to marry into the Kennedy dynasty. In the speech, Ann encourages and hopes the Kennedys will accept her daughter, but in the same breath, advocates for her daughter to stand in her own worth and not get lost in the demands of living a public life. The fear, reluctance, and hope, all wrapped up in a mother’s love, are palpable.
Of her approach, Zimmer highlights letting her emotions fly, “I didn’t filter anything. I didn’t question anything. I haven’t been given a lot of characters that have led with vulnerability, so I thought, well, this is my opportunity to lead with that, and I always let that guide me. The writing always felt grounded in a reality that I could relate to.”
Another highlight is witnessing Zimmer’s portrayal of a mother’s grief, letting Ann stand in her outrage and resolve to get justice for her daughters, while confronting the Kennedy-Schlossberg family. It all comes to a head in a devastating scene between Caroline Kennedy (Grace Gummer) and Ann, two women worlds apart but tied together through a terrible tragedy.
“I personally felt a responsibility because so little was known of Ann, and because so many people do not remember that both of them were on that plane, both of her daughters. I just was like, ‘This is my moment to give this woman her flowers.’ To me, that just meant like I just needed to feel it.”
Awards Radar sat down over Zoom with Constance Zimmer to discuss her turn in Love Story and also if we might ever see a return of Quinn King.
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