“Camelot” is crossing the pond for Season 2 of “The Crown,” as President John F. Kennedy (Michael C. Hall) and his wife Jackie (Jodie Balfour) accept an invitation to meet Queen Elizabeth II (Claire Foy).
But if you were hoping to see the gorgeous depiction of the Kennedys that was created in the minds of Americans, then you should find a TV series that glosses over the dark side of JFK’s life — including his drug addiction. And the Netflix Golden Globe winner is not it.
While Hall’s JFK is still going to be delivering speeches dripping with charisma, he will also be shown handling Jackie roughly before she reveals the couple’s abuse of prescription medication.
But did the thought of portraying JFK as a jealous jerk and an addict make the “Dexter” star think twice about taking on the role of the beloved president?
“No. Not given what I know to have been true about him,” Hall told Entertainment Weekly. “His initial drug use was steroids to treat his autoimmune deficiency which resulted in a lot of bone deterioration, and then they put him on painkillers to manage that. But because of the sluggishness that [the painkillers] inevitably created, he turned to amphetamines to function. And obviously, you have to function at a pretty high level as a head of state.”
“So, yeah, he was very much a functional addict — initially by necessity and then he was managing the side effects,” Hall said. “I think he had his own Dr. Feelgood and that was part of the picture. And his relationship with women was certainly a well-kept secret back then but at this particular moment is an interesting thing to examine and reveal.”
Season 2 of “The Crown” drops on Netflix on Friday, Dec. 8.