Michelle Pfeiffer to Star as Betty Ford in Showtime’s ‘The First Lady’
The star power in the upcoming Showtime anthology reframing American leadership continues.
Oscar and Emmy nominee, and Golden Globe winner, Michelle Pfeiffer will play Betty Ford in The First Lady (working title). Oscar, Emmy, and Golden Globe winner Susanne Bier (The Undoing) will direct and executive produce. They join another award-winning (Oscar, Emmy, and Tony) star, Viola Davis, who will play former first lady Michelle Obama and executive produce.
Betty Ford, who served as the First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977, was active in social policy and never held back from commenting on hot-buttons issue. She raised awareness of addiction when she went public with her own battle with alcoholism and substance abuse.
The First Lady is described as “a revelatory reframing of American leadership, told through the lens of the women at the heart of the White House.” According to Showtime, “in the East Wing of the White House, many of history’s most impactful and world-changing decisions have been hidden from view, made by America’s charismatic, complex and dynamic First Ladies.” This series is set to explore the personal and political lives of Michelle Obama, Betty Ford, and Eleanor Roosevelt in its first season.
“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,” Amy Israel, Executive Vice President, Scripted Programming, Showtime Networks Inc., said. “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.”
Joining Davis and Bier as executive producers on The First Lady, are Cathy Schulman, Julius Tennon, Andrew Wang, Jeff Gaspin, Brad Kaplan, and creator and writer Aaron Cooley.
