A new FX series starring Rose Byrne as feminist leader Gloria Steinem and Cate Blanchett as antifeminist Phyllis Schlafly will premiere in April.
The series, called Mrs. America, will center on the fight to pass the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the 1970s at the height of the women’s liberation movement. Conservative lawyer Phyllis Schlafly famously campaigned against the ERA, which is still unratified. The series coincides with renewed momentum around the passage of the ERA, with Virginia poised to become the 38th and final state needed to ratify the amendment.
The show boasts a host of characters based on real leaders of the women’s movement. Rose Byrne plays Gloria Steinem, and former Orange is the New Black star Uzo Aduba has been cast as former Congresswoman and historic presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm. Elizabeth Banks will play Jill Ruckelshaus, activist and former head of the White House Office of Women’s Programs, Tracy Ullman will portray Feminine Mystique author Betty Friedan, and Margo Martindale will play feminist leader and former Congresswoman Bella Abzug.
The first three episodes of the series are slated premiere on Hulu on April 15.
Sources: The Advocate 1/9/20; Vanity Fair 1/9/20
