Betrayal spotlighted in FX's 'Feud: Capote vs the Swans'

NEW YORK -- When the story of a legendary Hollywood feud between two stars, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, proved popular, FX decided to make a limited series about another dispute.

"Feud: Capote versus the Swans" is a story set right in New York City, in the 1960's when stories by writer Truman Capote caused a sensation after they were published in Esquire magazine.

The tales were labeled as fiction, but several rich and powerful people recognized themselves in those pages, and they were not amused.

The series was introduced at the Museum of Modern Art last week, and members of the cast told me the late writer would have "loved" the glamorous premiere of this FX show.

Truman Capote craved attention, wanted to become famous, and would've adored the fact that more than 40 years after his death, he is still being remembered in "Feud: Capote versus the Swans":

The feud takes place in the lost world of Manhattan 60 years ago.

At the center stands a famous writer, Truman Capote, and the rich ladies he calls "Swans":

"We tell him everything: even the awful things we've all done to each other," they said in the trailer for the series.

All of them would come to regret telling him so much after they he published stories about them and their misadventures.

"When things like that are put into ink forever, I don't think you can recover from that," said Diane Lane, "Slim Keith."

Lane plays one of the swans and Chloe Sevigny, another.

"The swans at least we're depicting were a bit trapped in a way," said Sevigny, who plays "CZ Guest."

They were trapped because, despite their wealth, their opportunities were limited.

"They needed love. They needed recognition," said Naomi Watts, "Babe Paley."

Their husbands had tuned them out and they found comfort in their relationship with the gay writer.

"This exchange felt really pure and new and fresh, and so after giving herself wholly to him, the betrayal just cut too deeply," Watts said.

"It's a story of broken promises, failed potential. It's about alcoholism. It's about genius," said Tom Hollander, "Truman Capote."

It's a story about a genius consumed by alcohol and ambition and what happens when powerful people get angry.

"So it's just universal, and it'll be here for the rest of time, and there's also a lot of humor. There's a lot of heartbreak," said Calista Flockhart, "Lee Radzwill."

There are a lot of reasons to watch the second season of Ryan Murphy's "Feud". The first two episodes are on FX Wednesday night and will stream on Hulu the following day. Both are owned by the same parent company as ABC 7.