Viola Davis admits she was terrified to play Michelle Obama in upcoming series The First Lady

Viola Davis explains why she was frightened to play Michelle Obama in The First Lady, a forthcoming anthology series. The show, created by Aaron Cooley, will serve as a historical examination of the White House and three of its first women, who were responsible for some of the country’s most influential decisions that were hidden from people.

In addition to Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer will play Betty Ford and Gillian Anderson will play Eleanor Roosevelt, with O.T. Fagbenle, Aaron Eckhart, Kiefer Sutherland, and Dakota Fanning rounding out the cast. Davis admitted to being nervous about playing Michelle Obama during a recent TCA Panel, according to The Wrap. She talked about how difficult it is to depict someone who is well-known. She remarked,”I was terrified, I was absolutely terrified. I think I listened to her podcast probably over 100 times and I still felt terrified.” She also talked about the uniqueness of the role and the difficulties it posed.

Davis said as per Screenrant, “It’s so specific and I had the insurmountable task [because] everyone knows who Michelle Obama is, everybody has claimed ownership of her. There is nothing about her that they want desecrated. A lot of times, when you approach a character, you want their mess, but with Michelle Obama… it’s not like she beats her husband.”

Showtime has been delivering more and more teases in terms of what audiences may expect as The First Lady approaches its premiere date. However, when The First Lady arrives on Showtime in April, fans of Davis and her acclaimed roles will be able to see her play Michelle Obama.

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