Inside the halls power. Showtime’s new series The First Lady examines what goes on in the White House through the lens of presidential wives — and several stars underwent major transformations to play them.
Viola Davis plays former first lady Michelle ObamaShe lived in the White House from 2009-2017 with her husband. Barack ObamaAs the 44th president of America, he was a former president. The How to Get Away with MurderAlthough she has won two Tony Awards, an Emmy, and an Oscar, the 56-year old alum was still terrified of the prospect that she would be playing the role. Becoming author, 58.
“You’re terrified whenever you start a job, because you are afraid you are going to be found out —that’s big imposter syndrome,” Davis told Entertainment TonightWednesday, April 13. “But with Michelle Obama, it’s like everyone has ownership over Michelle Obama. … Everyone knows what she looks like, what she sounds like, what her hair [is like].”
Davis was also unique among the show’s other two lead actresses, Gillian Anderson Michelle PfeifferAs the only first lady still alive, The X-Files53-year old alum stars in Eleanor Roosevelt’s role, who died in 1962. Batman ReturnsBetty Ford, a 63-year-old actress, is seen here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j36nGWGC5FI
The Fences actress also had the opportunity to speak with the Harvard Law School graduate ahead of the show’s premiere, but she said she didn’t want to share too much of what they discussed because of privacy. Davis did hint at Michelle’s misinformation about her character.
“She said, ‘I’m not even an angry person,’” the Oscar winner told Deadlineearlier in the month. “Isn’t that something? Listen, I am sort of an angry person, but she’s not. And so what I wanted to do was honor her and not the perception of what Black women are supposed to be.”
O-T Fagbenle, who plays Barack, now 60, didn’t get to meet his onscreen counterpart because the former president was “booked up,” but he still studied hard to prepare for the role. “Playing him over the span of 15 years is a challenge, as well, but it was a beautiful challenge,” the Black WidowStar, 41, told VarietyIn March, the prosthetic ears were added as an important finishing touch.
Even these required some tweaking for accuracy. “They gave me prosthetics that were his size, but they looked too big on my head,” Fagbenle explained. “They actually had to give me smaller ears than he has to make it look realistic.”
The First LadyPremieres on Showtime Sunday, April 17th at 9 p.m. ET.
Keep scrolling for more information The First LadyCompare the results to their real-life counterparts
