‘Feud’ Season 2 Cast and Character Guide: Who’s Who in FX’s ‘Capote vs. The Swans’?

The second season of Ryan Murphy’s “Feud” anthology series brings forth the drama between American novelist Truman Capote (Tom Hollander) and the “swans” of elite, high social life: Barbara “Babe” Paley (Naomi Watts), Nancy “Slim” Keith (Diane Lane), Lucy Douglas “C.Z.” Guest (Chloë Sevigny), Lee Radziwill (Calista Flockhart) and Ann Woodward (Demi Moore).

The eight-episode limited series, titled “Capote vs. The Swans,” is based on the bestselling book “Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era,” written by Laurence Leamer in 2021.

The plot kicks off when an excerpt of Capote’s unfinished novel “Answered Prayers” is published in Esquire, creating a shift in the writer’s relationship with the women.

Here’s a synopsis of the series:

Acclaimed writer Truman Capote (Tom Hollander) surrounded himself with a coterie of society’s most elite women – rich, glamorous socialites who defined a bygone era of high society New York – whom he nicknamed “the swans.” Beautiful and distinguished, the group included grande dame Barbara “Babe” Paley (Naomi Watts), Slim Keith (Diane Lane), C.Z. Guest (Chloë Sevigny) and Lee Radziwill (Calista Flockhart). Enchanted and captivated by these doyennes, Capote ingratiated himself into their lives, befriending them and becoming their confidante, only to ultimately betray them by writing a thinly veiled fictionalization of their lives, exposing their most intimate secrets. When an excerpt from the book, Answered Prayers, Capote’s planned magnum opus, was published in Esquire, it effectively destroyed his relationship with his swans, banished him from the high society he so loved and sent him into a spiral of self-destruction from which he would ultimately never recover.

Learn more about the cast, and the real-life figures they portray in “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans”:

Truman Capote (Tom Hollander)

British actor Tom Hollander is playing American novelist, screenwriter, playwright and actor Truman Capote. Capote is best known for penning short stories and novels, like his novella “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and his true crime novel “In Cold Blood.” The series is centered on Capote and his relationships with society’s most elite women, whom he nicknamed the “swans.”

Hollander’s previous roles include “Pride & Prejudice,” “The White Lotus,” “The Night Manager,” “The King’s Man” and more.

Barbara “Babe” Paley (Naomi Watts)

British actress Naomi Watts stars as socialite Barbara “Babe” Paley, who started her career as a fashion editor at Vogue in New York.

Watts’ resume is jam-packed with films and TV series, including “King Kong,” “The Ring,” “The Impossible,” “Infinite Storm” and “Adore.”

Nancy “Slim” Keith (Diane Lane)

Diane Lane plays Nancy “Slim” Keith, or Lady Keith of Castleacre, who was an American socialite and fashion icon and landed on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar at age 22. She was the inspiration behind Truman Capote’s character Lady Coolbirth in his unfinished novel “Answered Prayers.”

Lane’s past roles include “Unfaithful,” “Under the Tuscan Sun,” “Let Him Go,” “Man of Steel” and “Streets of Fire.”

Lucy Douglas “C.Z.” Guest (Chloë Sevigny)

Chloë Sevigny stars as actress and author Lucy Douglas “C.Z.” Guest. Guest was also a stage actress, fashion designer, columnist, socialite and horsewoman. Most of Guest’s acclaim comes from her work as a fashion designer. She was named as one of the best dressed on the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1959.

Sevigny’s acting career spans over several decades with films and TV series, including “Big Love,” “American Horror Story,” “Kids,” “American Psycho,” “The Act” and “Boys Don’t Cry.”

Ann Woodward (Demi Moore)

Demi Moore (“Ghost”) plays socialite, showgirl, model and radio actress Ann Woodward. Woodward, who was voted as “The Most Beautiful Girl in Radio,” rose to fame in part due to her marriage to Hanover National Bank Fortune heir William Woodward Jr., whom she was suspected to have murdered, though she was never charged or convicted.

Moore’s previous roles include “Striptease,” “Indecent Proposal,” “G.I. Jane,” “A Few Good Men,” “Disclosure” and more.

Lee Radziwill (Calista Flockhart)

Calista Flockhart joins the cast as American socialite and public relations executive Lee Radziwill. Radziwill, who was the younger sister of former First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, also worked as an interior decorator.

Flockhart is best known for playing Ally McBeal in the Fox series “Ally McBeal,” which she won a Golden Globe award for in 1988. She also previously starred in “The Birdcage,” “Supergirl,” as well as the ABC drama “Brothers and Sisters.”

Joanne Carson (Molly Ringwald)

Molly Ringwald stars as actress Joanne Carson, the second wife of American TV host and comedian Johnny Carson.

Ringwald is well-known for being the teen movie It Girl during the 80’s. Some of her most famous films are “The Breakfast Club,” “Sixteen Candles” and “Pretty in Pink.” More recently, Ringwald has starred in “The Bear” and “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.”

“Feud: Capote vs. The Swans” premieres Wednesday, Jan. 31 on FX.

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