Behind every great man is a great woman, the saying goes.
And three fabulous actresses portray truly great women in a new TV series which throws a spotlight on the “other halves” who resided in the White House.
The First Lady focuses on the lives of Michelle Obama, Betty Ford and Eleanor Roosevelt – played by Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson.
Hollywood’s finest reveal how they listened to hours of tapes and studied reels of footage to make sure they nailed accents and even body language.
Today, they say it was a privilege to play their respective First Ladies – and pay tribute to their defining roles in American history.
And despite the “behind every great man” adage, the stars make it clear these First Ladies were forceful figures in their own right.
Gillian, 53, salutes “selfless” Eleanor, wife of Franklin D.
Roosevelt, who served a record four terms from 1933 to his death in 1945.
Eleanor, who died in 1962 aged 78, once famously said: “A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water.”
Mum-of-three Gillian – who won an Emmy for her role as Margaret Thatcher in The Crown – says of Eleanor: “She was an extraordinary human being and her entire life was about being of service.
“She lived and breathed duty. She started a school and, even when Franklin was a governor, would send money she made to charity.
“Everything that she did was to be of service for those less fortunate than herself.
"And she was aware of the fact that she was incredibly fortunate and privileged, and she spent every waking minute either spending time with her family or in the service of other people.
“I’ve had the upper hand as characters in so many of the roles that I’ve played, and Eleanor really, really felt that she didn’t.
"And it wasn’t until Franklin had actually started paying attention to and supporting the suffragette movement that Eleanor started to think about that and the fact that maybe it was a good thing that women had the vote.
“And she had grown up feeling that she had a backseat and women should have the backseat.
"It really was a huge learning curve for her to feel that she had a voice, deserved a voice, that she had something to say.
“It was fascinating to embody someone who felt moved to do good work not necessarily because of feeling like she had a right to have a voice or a right to have a place.
“She did it out of pure selflessness, and so that was fascinating to explore.”
The First Lady starts in the US next week and will be released in the UK next month on new channel Paramount Plus.
Viola won an Oscar for Fences – playing a working-class mum in the 1950. She admits being “absolutely terrified” at the prospect of playing Michelle Obama, wife of Barack, first black president of the US.
At 56, Viola is two years younger than Michelle.
She says: “I have met Michelle and what strikes me about her is her sense of worth, her sense of belonging that seemed like a rooted oak tree.
"There was nothing about her that felt secondary, that she was the woman behind the man.
“She absolutely seemed like a person that has a sense of self because the first time I met her she did a political speech at a private event, and that’s what struck me about her.
“And it’s interesting as an actor. The first thing you latch on to is the similarities.
We are both dark‑skinned, black women. That’s a very, very specific journey.
“But the thing that terrified me about that was there’s a lot of that that I’m not, and so that’s the first thing I had to try to tap into.
“But that’s a thing that struck me about her, her absolute surety that she is somebody, that Barack doesn’t make her someone.
"She was someone from the moment she came out of her mom’s womb.”
Mum-of-two Michelle is an attorney and author and served as First Lady from 2009 to 2017.
Raised in Chicago, she is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School.
While at legal firm Sidley Austin, she met Barack Obama, a Hawaiian with a white mum, a Kenyan dad – and a whole new vision for America.
Viola listened to Michelle’s podcasts over 100 times and says she learned to talk just like her – and even mastered her body movements.
Hollywood veteran Michelle Pfeiffer also talks with pride at being chosen to play Betty Ford, wife of Gerald – US President from 1974 to 1977.
Betty was held in high regard for raising breast cancer awareness following her 1974 mastectomy.
As a supporter of abortion rights and a leader in the women’s rights movement, she was recognised as one of the most candid of First Ladies.
She tackled feminism, equal pay, the Equal Rights Amendment, sex, drugs, abortion and gun control – a debate which, this past week, still rages after yet another mass shooting.
Betty, who died in 2011 aged 93, also raised awareness of addiction when she announced a long-running battle with alcoholism and substance abuse.
She launched the Betty Ford Clinic, in California, to help people with addiction. It is now the Betty Ford Center.
Michelle says: “It was an honour and a privilege to play Betty. It’s one thing to be brave in the privacy of your own circumstances.
“Betty Ford did it in front of the whole world and still managed to be fearless, frank and kind.
“For millions of women, she wrote a new chapter of American history practically on a daily basis, shedding light on many issues no First Lady had ever acknowledged, challenges that affected people while being utterly taboo to discuss – from breast cancer to drug and alcohol abuse.
“Betty found a lot of her strength in her relationship with her husband and kids.
The other part she found in her own extraordinary strength of character. What a woman – and what a joy to play.”
■ First Lady starts on new channel Paramount Plus on June 22
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