Anderson is joining the cast of Showtime's upcoming drama The First Lady.
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A new history-based anthology is coming to Showtime, and legendary actress Gillian Anderson has just been added to the all-star cast. Anderson will play Eleanor Roosevelt in the series, tiled The First Lady.
The show is created by Aaron Cooley, and features stories about Roosevelt, Betty Ford, and Michelle Obama in its first season. Anderson is joined in the cast by Michelle Pfeiffer, who will play Ford, Viola Davis, who plays Obama, Aaron Eckhart as Gerald Ford, Judy Greer as Nancy Howe, Jayme Lawson as young Michelle Obama, and Kristine Forseth as young Betty Ford.
“Gillian Anderson is an actress of incredible range and exquisite talent — she is the perfect choice to complete this powerhouse trio, who will inhabit the roles of these iconic women," Amy Israel, Showtime’s executive vice president of scripted said. “It’s inspiring to have Gillian, Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Susanne Bier and Cathy Schulman at the forefront of The First Lady. They have truly set the stage for a landmark Showtime series."
Bier is executive producing and will direct, while Oscar winner Schulman is producing under her Welle Entertainment banner.
This is the second hugely influential historical figure Anderson, who came out as bisexual in 2012, will have played recently, as she appeared as Margaret Thatcher in Netflix’s The Crown.
Roosevelt is known as one of the most influential First Ladies of all time, serving from 1933-1945 and was outspoken on women’s rights and civil rights and pushed the United States to join the United Nations. While she was married to Franklin Roosevelt, she also had a decades-long affair with journalist Lorena Hickock, and the two wrote 18 boxes worth of letters to each other, which are available to see in FDR’s presidential library. While some debate the status of the pair's relationship, the letters, which contain sweet messages like "je t'aime et je t'adore" meaning "I love you and I adore you," as well as referencing not being able to speak freely with children near, make it quite plain.
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