Paul Anthony Kelly Says 'I Want to Be James Bond,' but Can He Do a Convincing British Accent? (Exclusive)

Lexi LaneSat, June 13, 2026 at 5:00 PM UTC

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Paul Anthony Kelly at the Newport Beach TV Fest on June 6, 2026Credit: Tiffany Rose/Getty -

Paul Anthony Kelly rose to fame portraying John F. Kennedy Jr. in FX's Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Kelly expressed interest in playing James Bond and said he is focused on taking on challenging and creative roles

He recently joined American Horror Story season 13 and welcomed his first child with wife Syd Widziszewski this year

Paul Anthony Kelly is throwing his name into the hat to be the next James Bond.

After rising to fame playing John F. Kennedy Jr. on Love Story, Kelly, 37, attended the For Your Consideration event for FX's Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on June 2.

"I want to be James Bond," he told PEOPLE exclusively when asked what his dream role would be.

As for whether he could do a British accent, Kelly replied with two simple words: "Absolutely not."

Paul Anthony Kelly in June 2026; Paul Anthony Kelly in 'Love Story' on FXCredit: Maya Dehlin Spach/Getty; FX

"No, I'm kidding. That would be amazing. I don't know. I'm going with the flow. I think everything is going to be a challenge, and that's really what I'm after right now is good, challenging, complex, creative characters," he added.

Kelly was cast as Kennedy Jr. and has since found himself in the Hollywood whirlwind, thanks to the show's explosive popularity.

"JFK [Jr.] was hard," the show's executive producer, Brad Simpson, told PEOPLE about casting the role in February. "We were three weeks away from shooting and we still [had] not cast him. We'd seen every male actor between the age of 25 and 38. [Creator] Connor [Hines] was coming in every day with models he'd found on Instagram, sending cold emails."

"I remember at the screen test, one of the hair and makeup people passed by me, and was like, 'You're crazy if you don't cast him,' " Simpson added. "It was just clear that he was JFK."

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With all the new attention on him, Kelly said it has given him a bit of pause when it comes to sharing his personal life.

"Yes, it really has," he told PEOPLE. "Doing all the press and stuff is definitely a muscle I didn't know I had. I'm constantly learning it and flexing it and stretching it and fine-tuning it. But with that and having a child now, privacy is so important. So I'm really learning my foothold here, how much I want to give, how much I want to keep for myself. It's a dance."

Kelly welcomed his first child with his wife, Syd Widziszewski, earlier this year. The couple tied the knot in 2023.

Syd Widziszewski and Paul Anthony Kelly in September 2025Credit: John Nacion/Getty

"One year ago, we tied the proverbial knot, and since that day, I have been the happiest and healthiest I think I've ever been. I love you more than words will ever do justice. To several lifetimes more... X. @sydwidziszewski," Kelly captioned an Instagram post marking the couple's anniversary in May 2024.

As for his next role, Kelly is reuniting with Love Story executive producer Ryan Murphy for a role on season 13 of American Horror Story — but he's staying quiet about any details about his character for now.

"It's everything I thought it would be and more," Kelly told PEOPLE of the project. "I just started filming last week. That's kind of all I can say on that. It's very lock and key. I also don't know everything. They keep us in the dark over a lot of the information for it. So I get my little bits."

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Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, also starring Sarah Pidgeon, Grace Gummer and Naomi Watts, is streaming now on Hulu.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”