It was the camera test that launched a thousand think pieces (not to mention TikToks, Instagram carousels, and a pair of stories on this very website): On June 13, Ryan Murphy’s production company shared images from his upcoming American Love Story series, giving the world a first glimpse at Paul Anthony Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr. and Sarah Pidegon as Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.
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The internet’s reaction was mixed. While some on social media scrutinized the costuming, Bessette-Kennedy’s colorist Brad Johns suggested to Vogue that Pidgeon, who is a natural brunette, had been turned a shade of blonde that felt “too 2024.”
In the wake of the backlash, Murphy went on the record with Variety, sharing that a style advisory board had been put in place to make sure the show got everything right (and that Pidgeon’s blonde in those shots was, in fact, a wig). Then, last night, almost a month to the day since the test shots were released, Pidgeon appeared at the Los Angeles premiere of her new film, I Know What You Did Last Summer, with a surprise: a new dye job. No Daenerys Targaryen coloring here.
Pidgeon’s colorist Kari Hill has confirmed to Vogue exclusively that this time, it’s not a wig. “Going from dark brown to blonde is always a journey,” Hill says, noting that she used Schwarzkopf Professional products to get the look. “The transformation took approximately 18 hours in total, spread over two days to ensure the health and integrity of Sarah’s hair throughout the process.” (When reached for a statement on the change, Ryan Murphy declined to comment.)
Hill describes Pidgeon’s new color as “a soft, natural root that melts into multi-tonal blondes, with buttery, golden highlights and subtle lowlights woven throughout to create a beautifully blended, sunlit effect.” And buttery it is—an important hue in the world of Bessette-Kennedy and Johns, who made butter his signature shade.