The FX limited series marks Blanchett's first starring TV role.
Cate Blanchett is stepping back in time. The two-time Oscar and Golden Globe winner is portraying conservative constitutional lawyer Phyllis Schlafly, who actively fought against the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, in the upcoming 9-episode limited series Mrs. America.
Written by Desperate Housewives and Mad Men’s Dahvi Waller, the series recounts the 1970s movement to ratify the ERA and the unexpected backlash led by Schlafly, aka “the sweetheart of the silent majority.” Like Impeachment: American Crime Story, the story is told through the eyes of the key female figures of that era, and looks at how the cultural wars gave rise to the Moral Majority and shifted the political landscape.
The first trailer was released during the network’s 2020 Television Critics Association presentation, giving audiences a closer look at Blanchett and her co-stars, including Rose Byrne as feminist activist Gloria Steinem, Elizabeth Banks as special White House assistant Jill Ruckelshaus and Margo Martindale as leader of the Women’s Movement Bella Abzug, Uzo Aduba as politician Shirley Chisholm, Tracey Ullman as feminist writer Betty Friedan and FX regular Sarah Paulson as an original character, Alice.
Rounding out the cast are John Slattery as Schlafly’s husband, Fred, and James Marsden as politician Phil Crane. Below are images of the star-studded ensemble.
Mrs. America will premiere its first three episodes on Wednesday, Apr. 15, 2020 on FX on Hulu, with new episodes debuting each subsequent week.
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