By Nellie Andreeva
February 16, 2021
Aaron Eckhart is set to co-star opposite Viola Davis and Michelle Pfeiffer in The First Lady (working title), Showtime’s anthology executive produced by Davis and directed and executive produced by Susanne Bier.
Co-produced by Showtime and Lionsgate TV, The First Lady was created by Aaron Cooley. It’s a revelatory reframing of American leadership, told through the lens of the women at the heart of the White House. Season 1 focuses on Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford (Pfeiffer) and Michelle Obama (Davis).
Eckhart, who is a series regular, will play President Gerald R. Ford Jr. A star linebacker for the University of Michigan Wolverines, Ford married Betty Bloomer in 1948 and served as a member of the House of Representatives for 25 years, holding Michigan’s 5th Congressional District seat from 1949-73. He later became the only person to serve as both vice president and president of the United States without being elected to either office by the electoral college.
Cooley and Bier executive produce the series along with Davis, Julius Tennon and Andrew Wang via JuVee Productions, Cathy Schulman via her Welle Entertainment, Jeff Gaspin via Gaspin Media, Brad Kaplan via Link Entertainment.
Eckhart earned a Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Award nomination for his starring role in Jason Reitman’s 2005 feature directorial debut Thank You for Smoking. He recently was seen in the film Wander and next will be heard as a lead voice cast member of AMC’s animated drama series Pantheon. Eckhart is repped by CAA and Barry Hirsch and Matt Wallerstein of Hirsch, Wallerstein, Hayum.