The FX series Love Story is currently the talk of the town as it heads toward its finale, retracing the glamorous but tragic romance of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.

While the show captures the 1990s tabloid obsession that followed the couple until their 1999 plane crash, it hasn’t sat well with everyone.

Jack Schlossberg, JFK Jr.’s nephew, has been vocal in his disapproval, warning fans that the series is "capital F for fiction."

This tension set the stage for Episode 6, "The Wedding."

The episode dives into the couple’s high-stakes marriage prep, showing how they tried to build a life together while their public fights were being plastered across every magazine cover.

It’s a standout moment for the series, attempting to find the humanity in two icons while leaning into the heavy drama their lives provided.

Alessandro Nivola, who plays the legendary Calvin Klein in the series, recently opened up about the pressure of portraying a living icon.

Speaking with Collider, Nivola admitted he totally gets why the Kennedy family is protective, joking, "I can totally understand how I probably wouldn't want somebody to play me. That would piss me off."

Despite the family's criticism, Nivola insists the show isn't a "hit job." He approached the role of Calvin Klein with respect, especially in the pivotal "The Wedding" episode.

Instead of playing their professional breakup as a simple ego clash when Carolyn left her job as his publicist, Nivola focused on the deep, human connection between the two.

For him, the goal was to show the complicated bond they shared, rather than just delivering a scandalous tabloid caricature.

To truly nail the role of Calvin Klein, Alessandro Nivola didn't just put on a designer suit and he did a deep dive into the man's wild and complex history.

Nivola spent hours studying Klein’s voice, noting how his accent perfectly blended his tough Bronx childhood with his later high-society life.

He also devoured a biography that revealed a life story that sounds more like a movie than reality.

He learned about Klein's rise as the child of immigrants in the Bronx and his grind through the cutthroat garment district.

His fame also came with intense personal drama, including two marriages, a daughter who was once kidnapped for ransom, and a legendary era of partying at Studio 54.

After a stint in rehab, Klein transformed his image into a polished "Hamptonite" and eventually came out, living openly with a male partner.

Nivola wanted to capture the contrast in Klein’s personality, the "precision and power" of a business mogul mixed with the "flirtatious charm" of a creative genius.

By internalizing all this history, Nivola aimed to give the character a soul rather than just a famous name.

The breakup scene in Episode 6 is a "gut punch" for Calvin Klein, and according to Nivola, it’s far more than a simple professional split.

The tension starts when Calvin finds out Carolyn didn't ask him to design her wedding dress and she asked his protégé, Narciso Rodriguez.

This hits Calvin where it hurts most, leaving him "reeling" from a rare moment of personal rejection. Because they shared a deep "platonic romance," the choice felt like a stinging betrayal.

Nivola played the scene with a mix of hidden rage and genuine love.

Beneath the surface, Calvin is dealing with a messy cocktail of pain, humiliation, and a protective instinct for Carolyn.

This blend of conflicting emotions and wanting to lash out while still wanting the best for her, is what gives the scene its heartbreaking depth.

Nivola also highlighted that Calvin Klein understood Carolyn in a way few others did because he knew her before she was swept up in the "Kennedy mythology."

Having spent his own life in the spotlight, Klein usually had a cold view of fame, once famously saying about a reluctant Kate Moss, "She doesn't want it? She doesn't have to have it.

" But with Carolyn, it was different. He had watched her transform from an anonymous publicist into a tabloid target, and it genuinely scared him.

Nivola portrayed Klein as a protective, almost "sage-like" figure in her life. Even while hurting from her departure, he offered a haunting warning about how the public glare would eventually tear her apart.

For Klein, this wasn't an act of bitterness; it was a sincere, final attempt to shield someone he truly cared about from the life he knew all too well.

In response to the Kennedy family's backlash, Alessandro Nivola maintains that Love Story was never intended to be a "hit job."

He admits that any show based on real life requires some "speculation" to fill in the private gaps, but he doesn't see the scripts as mean-spirited or scandalous.

According to Nivola, the audience isn't looking to see these icons "dragged through the mud"; instead, they are connecting with a romantic tragedy told with respect.

Reflecting on that era, Nivola remembers living in New York City during his own early acting career in the '90s.

While he wasn't in their elite social circles, he recalls their constant presence in the background of the city’s culture.

For him, their deaths were a major tragedy that marked the end of an era he remembers as his personal "heyday."

Love Story airs Thursdays on FX and is available to stream the next day on Hulu.