Actress Viola Davis has dropped the trailer for the one role many believe only she could play.
The award-winning actress, who is only one award away from being an EGOT, has been cast to play former first lady Michelle Obama in the Showtime series “The First Lady.”
She shared the preview of the show on her social media accounts punctuating Women’s History Month with the caption, “She didn’t just speak up, she spoke out.”
The 30-second clip promised viewers a glimpse into two distinctive periods of Obama’s life: her early life with Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, and the couple’s White House years. Young Michelle Obama will be played by newcomer Jayme Lawson, who stars as Bella Reál in the 2022 movie “The Batman.”
Fans believe the casting of Davis as the more mature Obama is a brilliant choice, remarking on social media how the “Fences” actress completely embodied the first Black woman to live in the White House.
One fan replied on Twitter, “OMG!!! You are her.”
“You totally nailed the facial expressions!” another chimed in.
Showtime will be happy to see one fan is subscribing to their service just to watch the series. The Twitter follower petitioned the movie star, “Viola, why are you doing this to us? Didn’t I have enough streaming subscriptions? You had to go and make this a must.”
Some fans just zipped past the Sunday, April 17, premiere and skated all the way to next year’s award season, saying, “Give Queen Viola all the awards”
On Instagram, her sisters in film all poured in to celebrate what is sure to be one of her most iconic roles. Top-tier actresses like Halle Berry, Holly Robinson Peete, Sharon Stone, and Michelle Pfeiffer, who plays Betty Ford in the series, congratulated her on the new project.
Their comments were overshadowed by fans who called her “the hardest working and most versatile woman in Hollywood!!!”
One fan even said the portrayal was the “only way” Obama could be “better” than she is esteemed already, adding the woman playing the Forever Flotus is “the most amazing actress of all times.”
In addition to starring as the lead, Davis’ JuVee Productions is backing the project, along with Welle Entertainment, Gaspin Media, and Lionsgate Television. She and her husband, Julius Tennon, are also named as executive producers on the highly anticipated series.
“The First Lady” premieres on Showtime on April 17, Easter Sunday, at 9 p.m. Eastern Time.
