How much pressure is there when you play a woman so important to history? It’s absolutely not the same as approaching any other character; it’s so specific. Everybody has claimed ownership of Michelle Obama. They feel like they own her. So I’m not going to lie: I was terrified. What struck you about Mrs. Obama when you met her? First of all, her height! Her sense of worth, her sense of belonging that seemed like a rooted oak tree. Nothing about her felt secondary or felt like she was the woman behind the man. She absolutely seemed like a person with a sense of self. She was someone from the moment she came out of her mom’s womb. Do you think there are any similarities between Mrs. Obama and you? We are both Black women. We are both dark‑skinned Black women. That’s a very, very specific journey. Who are some of the strong women that inspired you growing up? I had so many—CicelyTyson, FannieLouHamer, civil right activists. But I would have to say [my mom] MaryAliceDavis. As I move through my life, it’s really interesting how much my mom moves to the front of the line. How much research did you do into Michelle Obama? I think I listened to her podcasts probably over a hundred times. I felt that there was a small window of exercising creative input; it’s way too specific for that. Exactly how she uses her mouth is how you have to use your mouth. Exactly how she touches her pearls is how you have to touch your pearls. How daunting was it thinking, Mrs. Obama might watch this? Not only does it come to mind, but it also keeps you up at night, because you don’t want to insult her by your portrayal. And here’s the thing, it’s a famous quote, I think it’s Thoreau who says, “To be known is to be misunderstood.” As much as we feel like we know Michelle Obama—and I did everything I possibly could to research, I mean everything—but still, in those private moments, there is some level of creative decision-making that you have to take. I don’t know how she lays in bed with Barack. I don’t know how she would discipline her children. There’s just small minutia that I can take creative license with and hope that I’m not insulting her with it, and that’s what you have to navigate as an artist. It’s something I always say, even to my husband. “Listen, if someone were to do a bio of my life 70 years from now and they spoke to everyone that possibly came into contact with me, you’d only know 40 percent of me.” A lot of who I am exists right here. So, yes, a huge amount of fear—huge—but that’s what we live for as artists. It’s a huge exercise in letting go, and it’s a huge exercise in transformation, but to answer your question, terrifying. Sitting in the makeup chair, how much does the physical transformation help you inhabit her? Anything helps to catapult you into them—how they wear their hair, what they look like—so you literally can disappear and step into another life, but it’s only a part of it. To tell you the truth, that’s actually the easiest part. The harder part is to capture their humanity, especially in a world where everybody feels like they know them. Everybody feels like they know what they would sound like in private, public, whether they would swear or not swear, if they drink red wine or white wine or whether they drink at all. But certainly, the physical transformation is the first step in helping with the transformation. You said your mom was your biggest inspiration.What about her inspires you? Now that I’ve gone through my life and I see time whittling by, I see the importance of being a survivor. What I love so much about my mom is that as much as life really has seemingly beat her down, there is still so much love that she has and passion for people and hope, and that is what I feel is in short supply. There is a famous quote out there that the people that have the greatest potential in life all gather in the same place, which is the graveyard, meaning that they never really accomplish anything in their lives. But I think that now that we see how life has transpired with so many people, the people that move to the forefront to me are people who love and survive and hope and connect. All of those things that we don’t value is what I now value as a human being. The First Lady is planned as an anthology series; but after this season with Michelle Obama, there are no other first ladies of color. Is that of concern if there are more seasons? Yes, it’s a concern, but it’s always a concern. The fact that Michelle Obama, her presence, is here in an anthology series called The First Lady is enormous, and the fact that you can delve into her pathology even for 10 episodes is huge. I could talk about this for hours. I usually do, and I don’t want to hear myself talk right now. But the fact that she is even here, that she is even present, for me, makes it worth it. That’s what I’m going to say, and I’m going to leave it like that. Next, Viola Davis Talks Family Films and The Suicide Squad
