Michelle Pfeiffer signs on to star as Betty Ford in Showtime’s anthology series The First Lady
With a new First Lady in the White House, it’s timely that Showtime should confirm Thursday that it’s moving ahead with an anthology series about the wives of Presidents.
The premium subscription channel announced that Michelle Pfeiffer has signed on to star as Betty Ford, wife of President Gerald Ford, in The First Lady.
She joins Viola Davis who will play Michelle Obama in the series she is also executive producing along with her husband Julius Tennon.
New role: Michelle Pfeiffer, left in 2019, has signed on to star as Betty Ford, right in 1987, in the Showtime anthology series The First Lady, it was announced on Thursday
Also announced Thursday is that Susanne Bier, whose credits include The Night Manager and The Undoing, will be directing the episodes.
The First Lady will focus on Michelle Obama, Betty Ford and Eleanor Roosevelt and the roles the impact they had during their time in the White House.
Female perspective: The series is being co-executive produced by Viola Davis, right in 20189, and the Oscar winner will portray Michelle Obama, left in February 2019
At the helm: Susanne Bier, whose credits include the Night Manager and The Undoing, is on board to direct the episodes. She’s pictured in January 2020
Betty Ford took an active role in social policy and was generally more outspoken than many of her predecessors during her husband’s presidency from 1974 to 1977.
She is perhaps most remembered for her public acknowledgement of her alcoholism and she co-founded an addiction treatment center that bears her name.
Most recently, Pfeiffer has been seen in Marvel’s Ant-Man And The Wasp and Avengers: Endgame and Disney’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
Impactful: Betty Ford took an active role in social policy and was generally more outspoken than many of her predecessors during her husband Gerald Ford’s presidency from 1974 to 1977
Legacy: She is perhaps most remembered for her public acknowledgement of her alcoholism and she co-founded an addiction treatment center that bears her name
In a statement, Amy Israel, executive vp scripted programming at Showtime, said: ‘Michelle Pfeiffer and Susanne Bier have joined the brilliant and incomparable Viola Davis to bring the remarkable stories of these women into urgent, engrossing and long overdue focus.’
Israel went on: ‘Michelle brings authenticity, vulnerability and complexity to all her roles, and Susanne is a visionary director who commands the screen with fierce honesty and a singular visual style.
‘With these formidable artists in front of and behind the camera, we couldn’t be more thrilled — especially at this unique moment in time for our nation — about the powerful promise of The First Lady.’
Formidable: The anthology series will also feature Eleanor Roosevelt. It’s not yet known who will play her