Viola Davis Shares What Went Into Playing Michelle Obama in 'The First Lady' (Exclusive)

There is a change in the Season 2 cast Freeform’s Cruel Summer unveiled last week. Lexi Underwood has been tapped for a role in the second installment of the anthology series, which features a new cast, a new mystery and a new showrunner.

The First Lady.Davis called the reception to the series “incredibly hurtful” after the Washington Post’s Inkoo Kang criticised “Emmy-baiting performances” from Davis as well as Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson.“Critics absolutely serve no purpose,” Davis said in an interview with the BBC. “And I’m not saying that to be nasty, either.

Viola Davis has written a new memoir, Finding Me, in which she recounts her difficult childhood and eventual success in Hollywood.

Viola Davis debuted the first trailer for “The Woman King” at CinemaCon on Monday, and her director promised that when we finally got the chance to see the film that she “kicks ass.” She did not disappoint in that first look and excited a packed CinemaCon crowd on the convention’s opening night. The exclusive look revealed shows her leading the most elite team of female warriors, and the film is a historical drama, epic and action movie based on the untold true story of an 18th century African Kingdom.

Michelle Obama will not be renewing their lucrative podcast partnership with Spotify after clashing with the streaming giant over exclusivity and how much they were expected to appear in episodes.  The former first couple are said to be looking instead for a new deal at Amazon with its Audible service, or at iHeartMedia, according to Bloomberg which first revealed that the arrangement was not being renewed.  The Obama's signed their deal with Spotify in 2019 for an undisclosed sum but it is likely to be in the realm of $30million, the amount scored by Harry and Meghan in 2019 for a multi-year deal.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDiscovery+ is set to launch a new docuseries focused on Black food history in America from producer Viola Davis, featuring scholar and cookbook author Caroline Randall Williams as host, Variety has learned exclusively.The four-episode show, titled “Hungry for Answers,” will follow Williams as she travels the country, “uncovering the fascinating, essential, and often untold Black stories behind some of America’s classic and emblematic food and spirits,” per the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned streamer.

NEW YORK -- Viola Davis' latest honor is not for her acting, but for her writing. The Oscar winner's upcoming memoir, “Finding Me,” is Oprah Winfrey's new book club pick.“Finding Me,” which comes out next Tuesday, traces Davis' journey from what she has called a “crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island” to acclaim for her work on stage and screen.

inked a three-year agreement for an undisclosed amount. According to Bloomberg and The Los Angeles Times, the couple will not be renewing their contract, which ends in October, and they are now seeking a new home for their podcasts.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorHigher Ground, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s media company, is ending its exclusive podcast deal with Spotify and is shopping for other partners in the podcasting space, Variety has confirmed.The Obamas are exiting their exclusive pact with Spotify, originally inked in 2019, after being frustrated with the company’s exclusive terms — primarily, they want to have their podcast programming as widely distributed as possible, according to a source familiar with the situation. Higher Ground also has disagreed with Spotify over how many of its shows would feature the former president and first lady, as first reported by reported by Bloomberg.Reps for Spotify and Higher Ground declined to comment.

Sasha and Malia Obama are grown-ups now. They are both independent, and both are in relationships.

Viola Davis’ transformation into Michelle Obama in ‘ The First Lady’ relied on extensive “research” by her hair and makeup team. Hair stylist Louisa Anthony “did a lot of Google searches” to get to grips with how to “recreate” the 58-year-old wife of President Barack Obama's hair with “accuracy” on the 56-year-old actress. Louisa told Harper’s Bazaar: “The scene where Viola is at a photo shoot with the now historic black-and-white dress—Ms.

Michelle and Barack Obama are back to being empty nesters. On Tuesday’s episode of, the former first lady of the United States talks about saying “bye” to her now-grown daughters, Sasha, 20, and Malia, 23 — after they both moved out of the family home, again.  “It was an extra special treat to have them that little bit of time,” Obama tells DeGeneres about her family’s time in quarantine together.

Viola Davis as Michelle Obama, Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt, Showtime's   examines American leadership from the eyes of three iconic First Ladies. Premiering on Sunday, April 17,  will dive into Obama's, Ford's and Roosevelt's political and personal lives, while examining the impact the White House's women had on the nation. The new drama series is streaming exclusively on Showtime. Watch on Showtime«She is all things.

Inside the halls of power. Showtime’s new series The First Lady examines what goes on in the White House through the lens of presidential wives — and several stars underwent major transformations to play them.

The Flight Attendant , and it's a good thing that HBO Max is rolling out only the first two episodes on Thursday because your stress levels won't be able to take that much more. “As big as season one is, season two is an even bigger swing,” "I would say it's 10 times the size in scope."She's not kidding.

Michelle Pfeiffer is in awe of Dakota Fanning. The 63-year-old actress met the budding actress when she was just 6 years old as co-stars on , and some two decades later they've come full circle on .While at the red carpet premiere for the Showtime scripted anthology series, Pfeiffer recalled to ET's Nischelle Turner about meeting Fanning as a little girl when they teamed up for the 2001 melodrama film, which also starred Sean Penn.«She turned seven on and I bought her a Barbie Winnebago,» Pfeiffer recalled.

Viola Davis as Michelle Obama, Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt, Showtime's   examines American leadership from the eyes of three iconic First Ladies. Premiering on Sunday, April 17,  will dive into Obama's, Ford's and Roosevelt's political and personal lives, while examining the impact the White House's women had on the nation. The new drama series is set to stream exclusively on Showtime. Sign Up for Showtime«She is all things.