Jill Hennessy Says Playing Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Was ‘Daunting’

Jackie, Ethel, Joan: The Women Of Camelot — ShoutFactory/YouTube

What To Know

Jill Hennessy, who currently stars on Hope Valley: 1874, often portrays a resilient characters.
She previously played Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the miniseries Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot.
To authentically portray Jackie, Hennessy conducted extensive research.

Jill Hennessy is no stranger to playing women who are forced to forge ahead in life following tragedy. Currently, she can be seen on the drama series Hope Valley: 1874, the spinoff of When Calls the Heart. The former Law & Order actress describes her character, Hattie Quinn, as a “no-nonsense” woman, who “uses comedy to plow through life and tragedy.”

But over 20 years ago, back in 2001, she brought to life another tragic figure: the late former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the TV miniseries Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot.

Based on the book by J. Randy Taraborrelli, Hennessy nailed the role of one of the most enigmatic celebrities in history. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you saying that,” the actress told ReMIND. “I was so proud of what I did. I worked so hard.”

She describes bringing Jackie to the screen as a “daunting” task because “I adore her. She was the most inspirational woman.”

Jill Hennessy stars as Jacqueline Kennedy in a scene from the upcoming NBC television movie, "Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women Of Camelot." (Photo by NBC/Online USA)

NBC/Online USA/Getty

Hennessy researched her role extensively to ensure accuracy. “I talked to people who knew her,” the actress says. “I did a lot of interviews with a friend of hers from Doubleday. She would tell me about hanging out with her, going out for drinks, going to a bonfire, and drinking wine and listening to bossa nova music that she loved.”

Hennessy listened to audio recordings of Onassis to perfect her unique voice and sound. “Just to memorize the cadence of it,” she shares. “Her lilts, her accent. I watched video footage to see her physicality. That was so joyous.”

On Law & Order, the actress dealt with criminal cases based on real-life crimes during her run as prosecutor Claire Kincaid. In Jackie, Ethel, Joan, she was tasked with re-creating Jackie’s emotional state following the assassination of her husband, President John F. Kennedy.

Hennessy recalls, in fact, one of the first things she shot as Jackie was the scene onboard Air Force One when Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as president of the United States. “It was so traumatic,” Hennessy says. “Jackie refused to take off her suit [that she was wearing when her husband was shot]. To play something like that that is so much a part of our collective consciousness [was challenging]. Even the crew was a little traumatized shooting those scenes.”

Hope Valley: 1874 is available to stream on Hallmark+, with new episodes dropping on Thursdays.