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Cousins!
Viola Davis might be one fearless actress, but there is just one thing that keeps her up at night!
In Showtime’s new anthology drama, The First Lady, Viola is playing the great Michelle Obama. Premiering April 17, Davis admits she is nervous about what the former First Lady will think of her performance, according to Deadline.
During the show’s CTAM panel, Davis says, “Let me tell you something, not only does the thought [of Michelle Obama watching the show] come to mind, it keeps me up at night.”
“You don’t want to insult them by your portrayal… As much as we feel like we know Michelle Obama—and I did everything I could to research—there are those private moments where there’s some level of creative decision-making that you have to take. I don’t know how she lays in bed with Barack or how she disciplines her children. There are small minutiae that I can just take creative license with and hope that I’m not insulting her with it. That’s what you have to navigate as an artist.”
Davis also adds, “So yes, there’s a huge amount of fear. Huge. But that’s what we live for as artists. It’s a huge exercise in letting go and in transformation.”
Playing the extraordinary @MichelleObama was no small task but an honor of a lifetime. #TheFirstLady premieres April 17 on @Showtime. pic.twitter.com/ntiUOcYGrw
— Viola Davis (@violadavis) February 17, 2022
The First Lady, created by Aaron Cooley, is produced by Lionsgate TV and Showtime. Told through the lens of the women at the heart of the white house, it is the reframing of American leadership. Season 1 will center around Eleanor Roosevelt (Gillian Anderson), Betty Ford (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Michelle Obama (Davis).
From the first look photos of Davis as Michelle, it looks like it is worth the watch. Cousins, will you guys be turning in?
( (Jackson Lee Davis/SHOWTIME)