It’s actually taking place – for the new showtime anthology series The First Lady, Viola Davis will play former First Lady Michelle Obama.
According to Variety, the show will “peel back the curtain on the personal and political lives” of past First Ladies, focusing on the East, “where many of history’s most impactful and world-changing decisions have been hidden from view, made by America’s charismatic, complex, and dynamic First Ladies.” Betty Ford, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, and Eleanor Roosevelt, played by Gillian Anderson of The Crown, will also be featured in the anthology.
This isn’t the first time Obama has been remembered on television. Tika Sumpter portrays her in the 2016 film “Southside with You.” After she and her husband Barack Obama secured a huge contract to create programs and movies for Netflix, including the documentary “American Factory,” the former First Lady has a few initiatives up her sleeve in the entertainment sector.
Here’s everything we know about the series “The First Lady” so far.
Eleanor Roosevelt Will Be Played By Gillian Anderson
After portraying Margaret Thatcher on The Crown, Gillian Anderson will play Eleanor Roosevelt, political activist, and wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The real-life historical character was known to be more socially aware than any of her predecessors, and she appeared to change the function of the First Lady.
According to Deadline, Showtime Networks’ Amy Israel described Anderson as “an actress of amazing range and impeccable talent – she is the perfect option to complete this formidable three, who will inhabit the parts of these famous women.”
Michelle Pfeiffer plays Betty Ford
Betty Ford, who served as First Lady from 1974 to 1977 with President Gerald R. Ford, has been hailed as a supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment and a breast cancer awareness champion.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Michelle Pfeiffer, who was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for the film French Exit, returns to a series regular role for the first time since the beginning of her career in this role. According to Showtime’s Israel, the actress “brings sincerity, emotion, and complexity to all her parts.”
Young Michelle Obama and Betty Ford Have Also Been Cast
According to Variety, Kristine Froseth (Looking for Alaska) would play Betty Ford in a recurring role “as she trained as a dancer for Martha Graham in New York City, and into her 20s in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she worked for Herpolsheimer’s Department Store and eventually married Gerald Ford.”
Michelle Obama will be played by Jayme Lawson (Farewell, Armor, The Batman), who will be a series regular from the ages of 15 to 30. “The series begins with Obama as a young lady in Chicago and follows her through her years at Harvard University and Princeton Law School, culminating in her 1992 marriage to Barack Obama,” Variety stated.
Other Real-Life Characters Include Susan Ford, Gerald Ford, and Dick Cheney
Susan Ford, the only daughter of President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford, will be played by Dakota Fanning. According to Variety, Fanning will appear in six episodes.
President Ford will be played by Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight, Erin Brokovich).
Nancy Howe, Betty Ford’s social secretary and confidante, will be played by Judy Greer, who will take over for Pamela Adlon, who played a part in Better Things.
Dick Cheney, then-President Ford’s chief of staff and the youngest person in US history to hold the position, will be played by Australian actor Rhys Wakefield (True Detective, The Purge). According to Variety, in the aftermath of Watergate, Cheney had to persuade a skeptical American public that Ford’s administration would be different.
The Characters of Barack and Malia Obama Have Been Cast
President Barack Obama will be played by O-T Fagbenle (The Handmaid’s Tale) in a recurrent role opposite Davis.
Lexi Underwood, who co-starred in Little Fires Everywhere with Kerry Washington, will have a recurring role as First Daughter Malia Obama. According to Variety, her on-screen character is “open-minded and clever as she pushes her parents to make socially conscious decisions.”
Lily Rabe Has Joined The Cast of The Show
According to TVLine, Lily Rabe (American Horror Story, The Undoing) will play journalist Lorena “Hick” Hickok, who was a personal friend and mentor of Eleanor Roosevelt and one of the most well-known female reporters in 1932.
According to TIME, Hickok’s work “played a significant part in the government’s relief efforts” during the Depression era by providing gloomy but thorough knowledge. She subsequently left her job to work as a New Deal researcher for Franklin D. Roosevelt’s government.
A Whole Series Has Been Ordered By Showtime
First Ladies was first reported by Variety in August 2019 as a three-part drama with hour-long segments. Aaron Cooley will write and executive produce the film. Davis and her partner, Julius Tennon, are also executive producers on the film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Showtime ordered a full series in February 2020.
Susanne Bier, who directed The Night Manager and The Undoing, is also executive producing and directing each episode. However, the launch date has yet to be determined.
Viola Davis Is Ecstatic
On Twitter, the actress expressed her displeasure with the news. “Sooo proud!!! Honoring and elevating these powerful, worthy Queens with respect,”she penned
Sooo proud!!! Honoring and elevating these powerful, worthy Queens with respect. Go #TeamJuVee!!! @JuVeeProds #Legacy #Significance #FirstLadieshttps://t.co/5YWaw3hK8r
— Viola Davis (@violadavis) February 5, 2020
It’s no secret that the Academy Award winner admires Obama. She tweeted a photo of the previous First Lady and wrote, “In January 2019, I commemorated the former First Lady’s birthday by sharing a photo of them together, stating, “The Queen’s birthday is today! My younger sister! Grace, attractiveness, and intelligence are my images!! Greetings!!”
Davis Is Already Preparing For Her Dramatic Makeover
“Now I’m in a place of a little bit of fear—well, I’m not going to lie, a lot of worry,” she said of preparation for her role on Entertainment Tonight. Davis was able to speak with Obama, read her book, and watch her documentary while conducting research, which she began last year.
“They are doing an unbelievable job with the change of it all,” she told ET. The actress is already undergoing cosmetic tests at home with her makeup artist. “I’m looking forward to [the metamorphosis] with a lot of fear, but I’m looking forward to it,” she continued.
