Viola Davis expertly transformed into Michelle Obama in the new trailer for The First Lady.
The upcoming Showtime anthology showcases presidential couples throughout history, with the Obamas, Fords and Roosevelts among those portrayed on the series.
British actor O.T. Fagbenle stars as her husband, the 44th president of the United States, while Lexi Underwood and Saniyya Sidney portray their daughters Malia and Sasha Obama.
‘How do you really feel about being First Lady?’ Michelle is asked in the opening sequence.
Picture perfect: Viola Davis expertly transformed into Michelle Obama in the new trailer for The First Lady
She means business: Michelle finds her groove while roaming through the halls of her new home before taking a seat in one of many interviews to come as the president’s wife (Viola seen on the left)
‘In four years, I don’t want to look back and think, ‘What did I become living in that house?” she told Barack while laying on the couch one night.
Michelle finds her groove while roaming through the halls of her new home before taking a seat in one of many interviews to come as the president’s wife.
Obama, an attorney from Chicago, was the first African American woman to serve as the First Lady in the White House, a position she held from Jan. 20, 2009 through Jan. 20, 2017.
Transformation: British actor O.T. Fagbenle is pictured above as Barack Obama in the show
‘In four years, I don’t want to look back and think, ‘What did I become living in that house?” she told Barack while laying on the couch one night
Couple: O.T. Fagbenle stars as her husband, the 44th president of the United States
Barack and Michelle were married in 1992 and he was elected as president in 2008 after serving as a senator from Illinois from 2005-08.
Michelle Pfeiffer takes on the role of Betty Ford while Aaron Eckhart portrays President Gerald Ford in part of the series.
‘The First Lady has to be a special kind of woman,’ Betty said during an interview.
Kristine Froseth plays a younger version of Betty, while Jake Picking will star as Gerald in his pre-presidential days.
Betty was known just as much for her advocacy roles in the White House as she was once her husband left the presidency, as she founded the Betty Ford Center for addiction and substance abuse issues.
‘How do you really feel about being First Lady?’ Michelle is asked in the opening sequence as she runs through the grounds of the White House
Family: Lexi Underwood and Saniyya Sidney portray their daughters Malia and Sasha Obama
Ford publicly battled her own issues with alcohol dependency before going sober, and became the first first lady to discuss her addiction issues.
Gillian Anderson portrays Eleanor Roosevelt, with Eliza Scanlen playing her in her younger years.
Kiefer Sutherland plays Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Christopher Plummer portrays an older Roosevelt.
The 10-episode series was created by Aaron Cooley, and is executive produced by Oscar winner Cathy Schulman, who also serves as showrunner.
Last year, Obama herself said told Entertainment Tonight that she felt she wasn’t ‘worthy’ of Viola Davis portraying her.
Doing the work: Obama wore many hats as the first lady in the White House
Star power: Michelle Pfeiffer takes on the role of Betty Ford while Aaron Eckhart portrays President Gerald Ford in part of the series
Honest: Ford publicly battled her own issues with alcohol dependency before going sober, and became the first first lady to discuss her addiction issues
‘Viola Davis is the greatest, OK? I feel that I’m not worthy,’ the First Lady said during the interview.
‘I wish I could be better to live up to the character that Viola has to play, but it’s exciting,’ Obama added.
‘Anything Viola does, she does it with passion and vigor, and I know she will do no less for this role,’ she concluded.
Meanwhile, after Davis was cast as Obama, she opened up about the First Lady in an interview with ET back in September 2019.
Kiefer Sutherland plays Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Christopher Plummer portrays an older Roosevelt.
Accurate: Gillian Anderson portrays Eleanor Roosevelt
Role: Dakota Fanning plays Susan Elizabeth Ford opposite Michelle Pfeiffer’s Betty Ford and Aaron Eckhart’s Gerald Ford
‘She’s smart. She’s confident. She’s articulate. She believes in sisterhood,’ Davis said at the time.
‘I wanna honor her. I wanna honor her with this portrayal because that’s what drama is,’ she added.
‘That’s what we do as actors, we want to honor the human being. We don’t want to give a portrayal that isn’t easy for people to swallow,’ Davis concluded.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk