“That’s not Michelle Obama?!” was my thought as well, upon looking at Viola Davis’ first look in The First Lady. Equally uncanny are Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt.
The Showtime drama is set to capture the lives of the three significant first ladies and is scheduled to air in Spring 2022.
Next to Davis, we have O-T Fagbenle as Barack Obama, Lexi Underwood as Malia, Saniyya Sidney as Sasha, and Regina Taylor as Marian Robinson.
Davis has nailed Michelle Obama’s mannerisms to the tee, disclosing that not only did she read the former first lady’s memoir Becoming, but also had a chat with Obama before taking on the role. Davis studied Obama in her Netflix documentary to perfect her gestures as well.
While Davis never aims to judge any of the characters she is portraying, she ended up being very protective of how she played Obama, calling her “dope.”
Obama is the only living former first lady of the three.
Joining Betty Ford’s tale, we have Dakota Fanning as Susan Ford and Aaron Eckhart as Jerry Ford.
Executive producer Cathy Schulman commented how Pfeiffer had her work cut out for her, as Betty Ford was quite a complex character to portray, given her tumultuous time in and out of the spotlight. Pfeiffer brings that very range of emotions to The First Lady.
Lastly, for Eleanor Roosevelt, Cailee Spaeny and Kiefer Sutherland will be joining the cast as Anna Roosevelt and Franklin D Roosevelt.
Roosevelt was the United States’ longest-serving First Lady (1933-45) and was seen as “controversial” for her opinions on civil rights, poverty, and other political issues—simply because it wasn’t a woman’s place to voice them out in the 1930s. Anderson will do well to capture Roosevelt’s essence of being so much more than just an influential person’s wife.
The anthology drama is set to have ten episodes, but as of yet, it is unknown how the stories will be divided up. Stay tuned for trailers, teasers, and a release date.
It will be fascinating to see the role of the First Lady evolve through different eras, as Roosevelt will cover a tenure between 1933-1945, Ford for 1974-77, and Obama for 2009-17. The show aims to explore what connects these women across different decades, and what quintessentially sets them apart.
One thing is for sure, this deep dive into the First Ladies’ political lives interlaced with their personal ones will surely give us a deeper appreciation for Michelle Obama, Betty Ford, and Eleanor Roosevelt.
About The First Lady
The First Lady is an American television anthology drama series created by Aaron Cooley which is set to premiere on Showtime in 2022 (release date TBA).
It will follow the political and personal lives of Michelle Obama played Viola Davis, Betty Ford played by Michelle Pfeiffer and Eleanor Roosevelt played by Gillian Anderson.
Supporting cast includes O. T. Fagbenle, Aaron Eckhart, Dakota Fanning, Kiefer Sutherland, Judy Greer, Rhys Wakefield, Regina Taylor and Lily Rabe.
Source: EW
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