Michelle Pfeiffer, Viola Davis and Gillian Anderson to be ‘First Lady’

Three popular actresses are playing the role of three iconic women in history.

In a new interview with Dr. WSJ. MagazineThe stars of “The First Lady” – Michelle Pfeiffer, Gillian Anderson, and Viola Davis – talk about being transformed into their real-life counterparts.

Read more: ‘The First Lady’: Viola Davis portrays Michelle Obama in the first trailer

Pfeiffer, who plays Betty Ford, the wife of US President Gerald Ford, admits: “I didn’t know much about Betty Ford. I, of course, knew about the Betty Ford Center and her drinking and her addiction. And as I dig deeper, I see what kind of contributions he has made to social policy and equal rights reform — and how he has created awareness for breast cancer screening and mental health. She was much more than her addiction.

Anderson plays Eleanor Roosevelt, who plays Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom in “The Crown”.

Eleanor Roosevelt was probably the busiest and most committed [and] The active woman, “Anderson said.” There were a lot of things she was completely outspoken about, whatever the response, she felt the need to voice her voice. She felt that really strongly [she and Franklin] One goal was to fix the injustice at a level that still seems almost unimaginable today. They said they were going to do something, and they did. “

Meanwhile, Davis gets a lifelong role, in the role of First Lady Michelle Obama.

“I mean, it’s Michelle Obama,” he says. “Everything about her. She was one of the first women to come up with a big idea. And I would say that the restrictions that were imposed on her – not just being the first woman. [also] Being a black woman – was huge. And for her to navigate all this and accomplish what she did: I mean, her Hunger Free program for kids. [Michelle Obama advocated passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act to fund and raise nutritional standards for school lunches, which President Obama signed into law in 2010.] I mentioned it because I was a child that was hungry. I grew up in extreme poverty. I did a dumpster-dive. I stole food money. And I think Michelle Obama, coming from the south of Chicago, was very aware [that kind of poverty]”

Read more: Jillian Anderson shares a sneak peek at her Eleanor Roosevelt Wig for ‘The First Lady’

Talking about meeting Barack and Michelle Obama, Davis admits, “I feel more and more angry and I come from a place where I feel like,” You see me better; I am not invisible. “But when you are in their presence, they know their value, they are in their body and they are present. They take you in a way that is truly amazing. [Michelle] Decoded you in two seconds. I know the best Broad does it. “

He added, “I talked to her. I wouldn’t say it was going on, just because it happened a few times. It’s hard to find the former First Lady on the phone.”