Paul Anthony Kelly Nearly Quit Acting — Here’s What Changed His Mind

If you clocked Paul Anthony Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr. in the first run of FX's Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, you were probably wondering where this bloke had come from. Turns out, the answer is: a whole lot of near-misses and thirteen years of auditions that went nowhere fast. He nearly jacked it all in, too — only kept going thanks to his wife telling him not to pack it in just yet. Yes, proper make-or-break territory.

Hanging On By a Thread

Before this Love Story job, Kelly wasn't exactly UK household name material. Apart from the odd role here or there, it was mostly freelance frustration. On the US morning show TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle, Kelly spelled out just how close he came to quitting the game entirely.

'I remember sitting down with [my wife] and we were just talking and I was like, "You know, I don’t think this is really working. Haven’t hit it yet." Thirteen years is a long time... We were thinking about starting a family, so it was like — what weighs more than the other? But she was like, "No, just stick it out. Give it another year." And then a couple weeks later, I get this phone call for this, and here we are.'

So, to spell it out: he was this close to stepping away from acting before bagging the role that, frankly, everyone started noticing him for. Bit of a close-run thing, that. His logic at the time? If it doesn't break now, time to find another trade. But his wife, Syd Widziszewski-Kelly (try saying that after a few pints), convinced him to hang on a little longer. The rest is history, or at least, streaming TV history.

A Year That Changed Everything

• Paul Anthony Kelly nearly quit acting after 13 years of not breaking through.
• His wife Syd pushed him to give it just one more year.
• Within weeks, he was cast as JFK Jr. in the FX miniseries Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.
• The show turned out to be a huge boost to his career.
• Bonus plot twist: Kelly's first child was also born the same month the series dropped.
• He’s now on board for the next American Horror Story (season 13, if you’re counting), so looks like he’s sticking around in the TV world a bit longer.

It’s a bit of a mad turnaround: one minute contemplating packing it in, the next, juggling breakout roles and brand new babies all at once. Kelly summed up the whole experience in his own philosophical way, reflecting that sometimes when you let go, that's exactly when things finally start falling into place.

By all accounts, it was a proper all-or-nothing year for him — right as he was worried about how to keep the lights on, suddenly both his career and family life hit major milestones. He’s since landed a spot on American Horror Story for the forthcoming season. Some people get a leg up in the business; Kelly practically pole-vaulted thanks to a well-timed pep talk at home.