For a few too many members of the media, the pop superstar was the main event, but Swift is a fan of Robert F. Kennedy’s widow and at the moment something of a BFF. The two giggled in each other’s ears as they entered the theater and took seats together with the rest of the Kennedys. When asked how the odd-couple friendship came to be, Swift said her acquaintance with the daughter led to an introduction to the mother. “I had read up on Robert F. Kennedy and his wife, and I asked Rory if it would ever be possible for me to meet her mother. She said, ‘Here’s her number.’ Ethel was kind enough to have lunch and spend a few hours talking with me, and ever since then I’ve been so inspired by how full of life she is and the way she tells her story.’’
“Ethel’’ hopes to introduce that story to all of Swift’s generation and, in a sense, to the rest of us, too. Ethel Kennedy has famously avoided the public spotlight - her last interview was 30 years ago - and has chosen instead to carry on her husband’s good works privately and to see that her children do the same. Those children have closed ranks around her, which made Rory Kennedy dubious when approached by HBO executive Sheila Nevins with the idea of a documentary. (The film will be shown on the cable service later this year.)
“I know my mother, and I know that it’s not entirely within her comfort zone to talk about herself,’’ Rory said, speaking in a telephone interview earlier in the day. “And, honestly, it’s not really in my comfort zone to talk about myself or my family. Part of the reason I make documentaries is to document the world outside of my own experience and try to bring attention to some of the social issues that I think are really important. So it was just uncomfortable.’’
