O-T Fagbenle Has This to Say After Being Cast as Barack Obama on Showtime's 'The First Lady'
WENN/Adriana M. Barraza
Created by Aaron Cooley, this upcoming anthology series has Susanne Bier as its first season’s director, and Viola Davis, Gillian Anderson and Michelle Pfeiffer as its leading ladies.
Feb 26, 2021
AceShowbiz – O-T Fagbenle has managed to score himself the role of a lifetime. The Luke Bankole of “The Handmaid’s Tale” has been added to the cast ensemble of Showtime’s upcoming anthology series “The First Lady”, landing the coveted part of former President Barack Obama opposite Viola Davis, who will portray Michelle Obama.
After news of his casting was made public, the 41-year-old actor shared his excitement with his Instagram followers. “Not sure what’s more of an honour, playing @barackobama doing a TV show honouring @michelleobama or getting to work with the inspirational @violadavis,” he enthused. “Suffice to say I’m giving thanks :)”
The British-Nigerian actor was not the only one celebrating the good news. His music producer brother, Rockwell XL, shared on Instagram Story, “Jheeeeze! So proud of my brother @otfagbenle [muscle emoji] I remember you flying to the States just to be a part of the inauguration of Americas 1st black president. Now you’re playing him! So dope. Onwards & upwards.”
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O-T Fagbenle’s brother celebrated his casting as Barack Obama on ‘The First Lady’.
Aside from Davis, Fagbenle is joining the cast that are led by Gillian Anderson and Michelle Pfeiffer, who will take on Eleanor Roosevelt and Betty Ford respectively. Other cast members include Jayme Lawson as young Michelle Obama; Aaron Eckhart as former President Gerald Ford; Kristine Forseth as young Betty Ford; Judy Greer as Nancy Howe; and Rhys Wakefield as Dick Cheney.
This Aaron Cooley-created series is described as a “revelatory reframing of American leadership,” as told through the lens of the women at the heart of the White House. Its first season puts three former First Ladies, Michelle, Eleanor and Betty, under the spotlights, with Susanne Bier serving as each episode’s director.
By landing this recurring role on “The First Lady”, Fagbenle became the latest actor to portray former President Obama on the small screen. He followed in the footstep of Kingsley Ben-Adir who took on the role for Showtime’s 2020 miniseries “The Comey Rule”.
Fagbenle will next be seen starring opposite Scarlett Johansson as Rick Mason in Marvel’s “Black Widow”, which is scheduled for release in May 2021. His other TV credit includes “Maxxx”, which he created, wrote, directed, composed, executive produced and starred for Channel 4 and Hulu.
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