Kate Mara

BY: Zak Wojnar

On July 18, 1969, American history was changed forever. The 1960s were a tumultuous era, and by the end of the decade, both John and Robert Kennedy had been murdered by assassins. America’s first family had been crippled by tragedy, not once, but twice, and that July night marked the third Kennedy-related death.

After a party on Chappaquiddick Island, 37-year-old senator Ted Kennedy offered to drive 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne to the ferry back to the mainland. During the drive, Kennedy lost control of his vehicle over the precarious Dike Bridge and crashed into the Poucha Pond. Kennedy managed to escape the submerged vehicle; Kopechne did not.

Ted Kennedy waited until well into the next day before reporting the incident to the authorities, and the controversy over that decision loomed like a long shadow over Kennedy’s career for the rest of his life.

The legend goes that Kennedy was planning to run for president throughout the 70s, but the continued fallout over the Chappaquiddick incident proved to be too much for the beleaguered politician to overcome. He did eventually challenge President Carter in 1980, but failed to secure the nomination. He did remain US Senator from Massachusetts from 1962 until his death in 2009.

Now, nearly fifty years after the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, her story, as well as that of Ted Kennedy himself, is finally being told in the new film, Chappaquiddick. Kate Mara (Megan Leavey, The Martian) stars as Mary Jo, and the film is shaping up to be a showcase for Mara’s considerable talents. We’re particularly looking forward to see her performance alongside Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty, Everest) as Ted Kennedy.

Political dramas about real-life tragedy are tricky to get right, but we have faith in the tremendous and varied cast assembled for the film, which includes Mara and Clarke, as well as Bruce Dern, Ed Helms, Clancy Brown, and comedian Jim Gaffigan. Director John Curran has a stellar track record with films like The Painted Veil and Stone, so we’re confident that with Chappaquiddick, he can deliver high-stakes drama without resorting to shameless exploitation.

Chappaquiddick hits theaters on April 6.