Sarah Pidgeon Channels Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s Understated Glamour in Balenciaga at the 2026 Actor Awards

THE RUNDOWN

Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s Sarah Pidgeon is enjoying a special career milestone this evening: her first-ever Actor Awards, formerly known as the SAG Awards. The actress stepped out in a dusty-pink double balloon maxi dress by Balenciaga, reminiscent of Bessette Kennedy’s monochromatic, minimalist look, to interpret the red carpet’s “Reimagining Hollywood Glamour From the ’20s and ’30s” theme, which was set by ELLE. She accessorized the silk gazar look with Balenciaga’s Duchesse pumps in nude smooth nappa and wore jewelry from Rahamaniov Diamonds.

Gilbert Flores

Love Story, which began airing in February, is eligible for next year’s Actor Awards.

Last month, Pidgeon spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about taking on the role of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, touching on why the late fashion publicist resonates so much with her.

“She was a young woman in New York City, driven to make it on her own,” Pidgeon said. “She had this vibrant life before and after John; she was really her own person. She had this really, really strong sense of self, which I think is what allowed her to connect with people so well. There wasn’t this self-consciousness about her. While I believe she had her own insecurities, as we all do, I think she allowed herself to take up space. She allowed herself to be heard. I think that’s evident by how quickly she climbed the ranks of Calvin Klein.”

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“She was funny, vivacious, and could be loud,” the actress continued. “I remember reading the story about her going to a hockey game, and she could just curse like a sailor and was getting competitive for the team that was playing. I found that so interesting, considering she is this icon of minimalist fashion, to have so much spunk and spice, a strong sense of opinion, because that showed up [in] how she dressed.”

Playing her brought a new boldness to Pidgeon herself, the actress added: “What I hope I get to keep is that I’ve never been a leader on a show. So often in past projects or just in life, I thought, ‘Oh, it’s maybe best I don’t speak up right now,’ or ‘maybe I should keep my opinions to myself.’ I think Carolyn wouldn’t have done that. She really spoke her mind. And in playing her and wanting to do her legacy justice, by advocating for her through this process, I therefore also had to advocate for myself.”

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