In real life, Cate Blanchett is an outspoken feminist who famously called out Hollywood’s lack of female-led stories while accepting an Oscar. Her next role will be a major departure. The “Ocean’s 8” actress has signed on to play Phyllis Schlafly in FX’s “Mrs. America,” a nine-episode limited series that she’ll also exec produce. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the news.
Best known for her public opposition to the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, Schlafly took on famous feminists such as Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, and Shirley Chisholm. “The series explores how one of the toughest battlegrounds in the culture wars of the 1970s helped give rise to the Moral Majority and forever shifted our political landscape,” THR summarizes.
The conservative activist will also be portrayed in “An Uncivil War,” an upcoming Dee Rees (“Mudbound”) film that sees Carey Mulligan playing Steinem. That project also focuses on the struggle to ratify the ERA. No word on who will play Schlafly.
Blanchett, who served as Jury President at Cannes this year, won Oscars for “Blue Jasmine” and “The Aviator.” “Mrs. America” will mark her U.S. TV debut. The series hails from “Mad Men” alumna Dahvi Waller, who will pen the script and serve as showrunner. The Emmy winner will exec produce alongside Blanchett, Stacey Sher (“Freeheld”), and Coco Francini (“The Hateful Eight”).
“Cate Blanchett is one the great actors of our time — and we are truly honored to have her star in ‘Mrs. America,’” said FX CEO John Landgraf. “We have no doubt that Cate is the perfect actor to play the role of Phyllis Schlafly, who was one of the most polarizing and fascinatingly complex figures of the ’70s for her opposition to and role in defeating the Equal Rights Amendment, which to this day has never been ratified.” He continued, “Dahvi Waller’s scripts are extraordinary, and I’m thrilled to reunite with my former Jersey TV partner Stacey Sher, and commend her on assembling such a dynamic foursome of gifted, female, artist-producers to take on this timely story.”
Blanchett added, “I feel privileged to have this opportunity to collaborate with Dahvi, Stacey, and Coco under the robust and fearless FX umbrella. I am extremely excited about delving into the material as there couldn’t be a more appropriate time to peel back the layers of this recent period of history, which couldn’t be more relevant today.”
An adaptation of Maria Semple’s “Where’d You Go Bernadette” and Lucille Ball biopic “Lucy and Desi” are among Blanchett’s upcoming projects.
“I feel really positive about the inevitable, positive moves toward equality in the face of a lot of fear and adversity,” the “Carol” actress told Variety earlier this year. “There were cracks in the dam for an incredibly long time, and we were trying to sort of put putty on them,” she said of the onslaught of sexual harassment and abuse allegations that have flooded Hollywood in the past year “But it’s not just women; it’s also men. It’s also people of different sexual persuasions. It’s the lack of ethnic diversity. Our job is, yes, to be creative, but one of our primary jobs as artists is to be fearless. And I think we’re fearlessly examining the issues in our industry.”
