Arts and Culture

Viola Davis adopted Michelle Obama’s mannerisms & Twitter isn’t having it

  • Black Information Network
Photo: Getty Images

Viola Davis is under social media scrutiny for the way she’s portraying the 44th president’s first lady.

Showtime’s new series The First Lady takes on American history through the eyes of former first ladies Michelle Obama, Betty Ford, and Eleanor Roosevelt. The show debuted on Sunday (April 17) with Davis starring as Obama.

Twitter was quick to notice and call out Davis for adopting certain facial expressions during the show’s debut. 

Davis told Vanity Fair ahead of the premiere that she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to live up to the task of portraying the lawyer, writer, and activist. 

“She’s an icon. Everyone knows what she looks like and what she sounds like so I am absolutely terrified,” Davis said. “But I’m mostly terrified about what she will think. I don’t want to insult her and have her calling me. I gotta make the sister look good.”

Davis noted that she studied the former first lady’s speech patterns and watched many videos to adopt her mannerisms. 

Some viewers saw Davis’ performance as a caricature of Obama, especially in the way she pursed her lips throughout the show. 

Others took to social media to praise the How To Get Away With Murder star for her acting abilities, despite this blunder in her career. 

Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.

About Post Author

Black Information Network

Black Information Network is the first and only 24/7 national and local all-news audio service dedicated to providing an objective, accurate and trusted source of continual news coverage with a Black voice and perspective. BIN is enabled by the resources, assets and financial support of iHeartMedia and the support of its Founding Partners: Bank of America, CVS Health, GEICO, Lowe’s, McDonald’s USA, Sony, 23andMe and Verizon. BIN is focused on service to the Black community and providing an information window for those outside the community to help foster communication, accountability and deeper understanding.

Black Information Network is distributed nationally through the iHeartRadio app and accessible via mobile, smart speakers, smart TVs and other connected platforms, and on dedicated all-news local broadcast AM/FM radio stations. BIN also provides the news service for iHeartMedia’s 106 Hip Hop, R&B and Gospel stations across the country. Please visit www.BINNews.com for more information.

See author's posts

Comments

From the Web

Skip to content