Viola Davis: 'I didn’t sleep because of Michelle Obama'
In the series 'The First Lady', the most awarded African-American actress plays the role of the Michelle and that put her under the greatest pressure in her career.
We will soon be able to see “The First Lady”, an anthology series about three White House women – Betty Ford, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Michelle Obama.
There are roles that make even the most award-winning African-American actress, Viola Davis, nervous. Although the 56-year-old artist has a long career behind her, she still feels great respect for her profession in which she has been since 1992, when in her final year of acting studies at Juilliard School she began small roles on off-Broadway.
The reason she had “butterflies in her stomach” is her portrayal of former first lady, Michelle Obama, in the series 'The First Lady'. The series follows the lives of three wives of American presidents, Betty Ford, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the wife of former President Barack Obama which shaped the history of America, each in its own way, from the East Wing of the White House. The premiere is scheduled for Sunday, April 17 on Showtime, and most talk is about the role of Viola Davis.
The most difficult position
"I felt scared. You don't want to make mistakes neither annoy them by portraying them," the three-time Academy Award winner told. Viola is also Oscar, Emmy and two Tony Awards winner on a panel organized by the Television Critics Association. It was not easy for Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt, but Viola Davis was given the role of the first lady she knew personally. We could say that they are friends. This is probably the reason why the diva was so nervous.
When Viola was asked on the panel what it feels like to play a person she knows, she answered very honestly. "Because of her, I stayed awake at night. On the other hand, we are artists and we live for complex roles. I experienced the role as a great exercise in transformation. Honestly, I was horrified at the same time." said the actress.
On the question of what is her impression about the first lady, she answered "You don't feel like a side character or a woman standing behind her man. She's not that type. She's aware of her worth," the actress concluded. We cannot wait for this premiere!
