How ‘Black Excellence’ Led To Viola Davis’ Mouth In 'The First Lady'

Davis stars as Lady Obama turning in what should’ve been another Emmy-baiting performance in the exhausted genre of prestige dramas that excavate history to pander to our current political climate. Instead, Davis gives a bemusing interpretation of the former first lady that harkens back to the early days of Obama’s public life when anti-Black, misogynoir political caricaturists overexaggerated her physical features. There’s Davis’ wonky attempt at Obama’s Chicago-reared accent, her razor-thin eyebrows, and her mouth. Oh my God, her mouth.

Davis’ insistence on basing her entire transformation into Obama on fixing her mouth in a permanent scrunched position — even as she’s speaking — leads me to side with the theory that some fans on Twitter have proposed that there must be friction between the two ladies.

pic.twitter.com/hywUW3Gjhw

— paul (@paulswhtn) April 17, 2022

Davis’ performance — as cringe as it is — however, is less relevant to what led to her accepting the role. Within the past decade, since being catapulted into fame by her role in How to Get Away With Murder, an air of regalness has been bestowed upon Davis that’s only rivaled by the woman who once resided in the most esteemed house in the country. Davis’ awards acceptance speeches often have the energizing force of a motivational speech. Her voice alone can easily oscillate between a tranquil balm to a powerful near-Shakespearean soliloquy.

On paper, her casting as Michelle Obama made sense because she is Michelle Obama. She is the vision of aspirational Black womanhood that has emerged in the last decade. As a graduate of the Shonda Rhimes School of Strong Female Leads which produces characters who speak primarily in monologues, you can easily hear Davis’ voice saying Obama’s famous mantra, “When they go low we go high.”

So it's no wonder why Davis, who also executive produces The First Lady, chose to take on this role. She faced (much lighter) criticism when she took on the role of legendary blues singer Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom because of her choice to wear a fat suit rather than, as an EP, give the role to an actress who didn’t need prosthetics to play the role. But it’s a testament to Davis’ stature that even as many people derided her Ma Rainey and Obama performances, they still show reverence towards the Oscar award-winning actress.

In perhaps an ironic twist of fate, Davis’ memoir Finding Me – a book that revives the same feelings of Black excellence as exemplified through wealth accumulation and "overcoming the odds" that Obama’s Becoming does – comes out shortly after the release of The First Lady.

A memoir is always an easy way for a public figure to affirm their place in history. And the place where Davis finds herself is one that can only be rivaled by American royalty.

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