Michelle Pfeiffer has two Leo ladies she’s celebrating this weekend.
On Sunday, Aug. 11, the Scarface actress, 66, posted a picture of herself and her The First Lady costars Gillian Anderson and Viola Davis in honor of their very close birthdays. “Happy birthday week to two of my favorite First Ladies,” Pfeiffer wrote in a post on her Instagram Stories.
Anderson’s 56th birthday was Friday, Aug. 9, while Davis turned 59 on Sunday, Aug 11.
The three actresses portrayed first ladies Michelle Obama (Davis), Betty Ford (Pfeiffer) and Eleanor Roosevelt (Anderson) for the 2012 historical drama series. The First Lady focused on the political and personal lives of the women who were married to the presidents of the United States, and how they experienced their time in the White House.
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After its 10-episode run, the Emmy-nominated series was not picked up for a second season.
Pfeiffer, who will star in the upcoming Yellowstone prequel series The Madison, was so eager to portray Ford — who died in 2011 at 93 — that she signed onto the show before even reading the script.
“I knew about — like most people — she’s very famous for the Betty Ford clinic, which has, again, saved hundreds of thousands of people’s lives,” Pfeiffer said during an April 2022 interview with Today.
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“And, obviously, her issues with substance abuse,” she continued. “So that, in and of itself, was a really interesting story to tell. And I felt really important.”
Pfeiffer added: “When Susanne Bier — the director I was anxious to work with — called, all she said to me was, ‘I’m doing a project on the first ladies and I’d like you to play Betty Ford.’ And I said, ‘I’m in.’ “
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The fascination and interest in the stars’ respective first ladies was a mutual feeling across the board. When speaking with The Wall Street Journal in April 2022, the actresses told the publication about the common thread they found between Roosevelt, Ford and Obama.
“For me, it’s agency,” Davis said at the time. “That ability to make decisions and know who you are.”
Pfeiffer noted that all of the first ladies had been “struggling to be heard” while “dealing with living under a microscope.”
She said, “And I do think they all find their voice, and use it, along with their public profile, to encourage other women to do the same.”
Anderson, meanwhile, praised the all-female press corps that Roosevelt started during the Great Depression, where Roosevelt spoke to the American people daily, reminding them to remain positive.
“And people listened to them, and trusted them and believed them,” Anderson said, adding: “At the time, there was something unprecedented about that.”
