News: FX Announces Additional Cast and Directors For Mrs. America

FX announced more of the extraordinary cast that will join two-time Academy^® Award and Golden Globe^® Award winning actor Cate Blanchett in the upcoming limited series Mrs. America. The nine-episode series will premiere on FX in 2020.

FX also announced that Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, who most recently co-wrote and directed the blockbuster feature Captain Marvel, will direct the first two episodes of Mrs. America and serve as Executive Producers.

Mrs. America tells the story of the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), and the unexpected backlash led by a conservative woman named Phyllis Schlafly, played by Blanchett. Through the eyes of the women of that era – both Schlafly and second wave feminists Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Shirley Chisholm, Bella Abzug and Jill Ruckelshaus – the series explores how one of the toughest battlegrounds in the culture wars of the 70s helped give rise to the Moral Majority and forever shifted our political landscape.

The newly announced cast features (in alphabetical order):

UZO ADUBA as SHIRLEY CHISHOLM – Chisholm not only made history as the first African American Congresswoman, but also became the first African American candidate to run for President from a national political party when she launched her unprecedented 1972 campaign.

ROSE BYRNE as GLORIA STEINEM – Steinem was the most recognizable leader of the women’s movement, who co-founded Ms. Magazine and played a major part in the effort to pass the ERA.

KAYLI CARTER as “PAMELA” (Fictional) – “Pamela” is a young, impressionable housewife who is an early member of Phyllis’ anti-ERA movement.

ARI GRAYNOR as BRENDA FEIGEN-FASTEAU – A Harvard-educated lawyer, Feigen-Fasteau was a young feminist in the women’s movement who co-founded Ms. Magazine with Steinem and helped the feminist effort to pass the ERA.

MELANIE LYNSKEY as ROSEMARY THOMSON – Thomson was a homemaker in Schlafley’s inner circle who eagerly joined her fight against the ERA.

JAMES MARSDEN as PHIL CRANE – Crane was a conservative congressman from Phyllis’ home state of Illinois and one of her most powerful allies.

MARGO MARTINDALE as BELLA ABZUG – A leading figure in the feminist movement, Abzug was a three-term Congresswoman who spearheaded the effort to pass the ERA.

SARAH PAULSON as “ALICE” (Fictional) – “Alice” is Phyllis’ best friend who joins Phyllis’ efforts to block the ERA.

JOHN SLATTERY as FRED SCHLAFLY – Phyllis’ husband was a prominent lawyer, GOP donor and anti-communist.

JEANNE TRIPPLEHORN as ELEANOR SCHLAFLY – Eleanor is Fred’s unmarried sister and a close confidante of Phyllis. Eleanor is a devoted aunt to Phyllis’ six children.

TRACEY ULLMAN as BETTY FRIEDAN – Known as the mother of the women’s movement, Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique and co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus. She was an active proponent of the ERA.

Mrs. America is written by Emmy^® Award winning writer Dahvi Waller (Mad Men) and Executive Produced by two-time Academy Award nominee Stacey Sher, Waller, Coco Francini, Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, and Blanchett, with Micah Schraft serving as Co-Executive Producer. Mrs. America marks Blanchett’s first role in an American television program. The nine-episode limited series is produced by FX Productions, with Waller serving as Showrunner.

ADDITIONAL CAST BIOS

UZO ADUBA

Uzo Aduba currently stars as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren in the critically acclaimed Netflix Original Series Orange is the New Black. Her performance has garnered a sweep of awards including the 2016 and 2015 SAG Award for “Best Actress in Comedy,” the 2017 SAG Award nomination for “Best Actress in a Comedy,” the 2015 Emmy Award for “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series” and the 2014 Emmy Award for “Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy.” In addition, Aduba was honored as part of the show’s win in the category of “Best Ensemble in a Comedy” at the 2017, 2016 and 2015 SAG Awards. For her Emmy wins, Aduba joined Ed Asner to become only the second actor ever to win Emmys for the same role in the comedy and drama categories. Furthermore, with her SAG and Emmy honors, she became the first African American actress to win the award in each category. She was also nominated for the 2015 and 2016 Golden Globe Award for “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series, or TV Movie.” The show will return for a seventh and final season in 2019. She will next be seen in the Netflix original film Beats opposite Anthony Anderson that will be released in 2019. Other notable credits include: American Pastoral (Lionsgate), The Wiz Live! (NBC), and numerous theater credits including Broadway’s Godspell.

Aduba is represented by UTA, Management 360 and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham LLP.

ROSE BYRNE

Emmy and Golden Globe nominated Rose Byrne (Damages, Bridesmaids) is currently in production on Jon Stewart’s political film Irresistible. She will next be seen opposite Tiffany Haddish in Limited Partners as well as Will Gluck’s Peter Rabbit 2. Other film credits include Spy, Get Him to the Greek, This Is Where I Leave You, Neighbors, X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Apocalypse, Marie Antoinette, Troy and 28 Weeks Later. For her performance in the Australian film The Turning, Byrne won an award in the category of Best Actress in a Supporting Role from both The Australian Film Critics Association and The Film Critics Circle of Australia. On stage, Byrne has been seen in Sydney Theater Company’s Speed-the-Plow, La Dispute and Three Sisters as well as the Tony nominated production of You Can’t Take it With You on Broadway. In 2015, Byrne co-founded the DollHouse Collective, an all-female-run production company which prioritizes female driven storytelling and collaborates with emerging and experienced creatives.

Byrne is represented by CAA and RGM Artists.

KAYLI CARTER

Kayli Carter made a brilliant feature debut this year in Tamara Jenkins’ Private Life in which she stars opposite Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn. The film had its world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and Carter was praised for her breakout performance. Deadline referred to the feature as “the best Netflix film yet” and Carter has been nominated this year for the Independent Spirit Awards for Best Supporting Actress. Carter was most recently seen in Scott Frank’s Netflix miniseries Godless, Executive Produced by Steven Soderbergh, opposite Jeff Daniels and Michelle Dockery. On stage – Carter was most recently seen in Tracy Letts’ NY Times Critics Pick production of Mary Page Marlowe, opposite Tatiana Maslany and directed by Lila Neugebauer, playing off-Broadway at the 2^nd Stage Theatre. Previously on stage, she originated the role of ‘Flo’ in Mark Rylance’s Olivier Nominated Comedy, Nice Fish (West End, St Ann’s Warehouse, American Repertory Theater). Carter’s previous film credits include Rings (Paramount), and Z: The Beginnings of Everything (Amazon).

Carter is represented by ICM Partners.

ARI GRAYNOR

Ari Graynor most recently starred in the Showtime series I’m Dying Up Here and the films The Front Runner and The Disaster Artist. Extensive film work includes For a Good Time Call, Celeste and Jesse Forever, The Sitter, Whats Your Number, and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist to name a few. Graynor is a veteran of the stage, seen on Broadway and off in Brooklyn Boy (Clarence Derwent award), The Little Dog Laughed, Relatively Speaking, The Performers, Dog Sees God, Trust and, most recently, Yen, for which she received a Lucille Lortel nomination.

Graynor is represented by UTA, Management 360, Viewpoint, Lichter Grossman Nichols Adler and Feldman.

MELANIE LYNSKEY

New Zealand born Melanie Lynskey’s first role came in 1994 with her award winning performance in Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures opposite Kate Winslet. Since then, she has amassed a number of credits in both features and television. Her film credits include Steven Soderbergh’s The Informant, Tom McCarthy’s Win Win, Billy Ray’s Shattered Glass, Sam Mendes’ Away We Go, Jason Reitman’s Up In The Air, Andy Tennant’s Ever After and Sweet Home Alabama, Jamie Babbit’s But I’m A Cheerleader, Clint Eastwood’s Flags Of Our Fathers, Joe Swanberg’s Happy Christmas, and Angus MacLachlan’s Goodbye To All That. In 2012, Lynskey played the lead role in Todd Louiso’s film Hello I Must Be Going. The film opened the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and was rated one of the “Top Ten Independent Films” of the year by the National Board of Review. Lynskey’s performance earned her critical praise and a nomination for a 2012 Gotham Independent Film Award in the category of Breakthrough Actor. At Sundance in 2016, Lynskey won the US Special Jury Prize for Individual Performance for her portrayal of a meddling alcoholic in Clea DuVall’s debut feature, The Intervention. On the small screen, Lynskey’s next project is the highly anticipated Hulu series Castle Rock, opposite André Holland, Sissy Spacek and Bill Skarsgård. She was recently seen in Netflix’s Wet Hot American Summer and Girlboss. Lynskey also starred in the Duplass brothers’ critically acclaimed HBO show, Togetherness, for which she was nominated for a Critic’s Choice Award; and she voiced the character Beatrice in Cartoon Network’s Over The Garden Wall, which won the 2015 Emmy for Best Animated Program. From 2003-2015, Lynskey had a popular recurring role as Rose in the hit TV show Two And A Half Men. Most recently, she appeared opposite Anthony LaPaglia in the Australian SBS TV Drama Sunshine Kings. Lynskey was nominated for Outstanding Actress at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival for her role in the mini-series. Last year, Lynskey starred opposite Elijah Wood in Macon Blair’s I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. Lynskey was nominated for a 2017 Gotham Award for Best Actress for her role in the film. Upcoming films include Sadie, directed by Megan Griffiths, in which she stars opposite John Gallagher Jr.

Lynskey is represented by The Gersh Agency.

JAMES MARSDEN

James Marsden can currently be seen in Liz Feldman’s Netflix dark comedy series Dead To Me opposite Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini. On the film side, Marsden can next be seen in Quentin Tarantino’s highly-anticipated Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, alongside Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Leonardo DiCaprio. Following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Sony Pictures will release the film July 26, 2019. He also stars in Jeff Fowler’s live-action/animation hybrid, Sonic the Hedgehog, opposite Jim Carrey and Tika Sumpter, which Paramount will release November 8, 2019. Previously, Marsden starred as “Teddy Flood” in HBO’s critically-acclaimed sci-fi series, Westworld, created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy and  inspired by Michael Crichton’s 1973 Western thriller about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the future of sin.

Marsden is represented by CAA and Authentic Talent and Literary Management.

MARGO MARTINDALE

Margo Martindale, a three-time Emmy award-winning actress, will soon be seen opposite Tiffany Haddish and Melissa McCarthy in New Line’s The Kitchen. She also recently appeared in Instant Family with Mark Wahlberg and on television opposite Patricia Arquette in Hulu’s The Act. Martindale is a series regular on Amazon’s acclaimed series Sneaky Pete. She won two Emmys for FX’s series The Americans, and another for Justified. A native of Jacksonville, Texas, she began on the New York stage originating the iconic role of “Truvy” in the first Broadway production of Steel Magnolias. She also received a Tony nomination for her portrayal of “Big Mama” in the 2004 revival of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Moviegoers will recognize her work in Million Dollar Baby, August: Osage County, Secretariat, Dead Man Walking, Nobody’s Fool, Lorenzo’s Oil, The Hours, Practical Magic, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Hannah Montana: The Movie, Paris Je T’aime, Beautiful Creatures, The Hollars, Downsizing, and Win Win, among others. Her standout television performances include New Girl, Medium, Dexter, The Riches, Hung, A Gifted Man, The Millers and The Good Fight.

Martindale is represented by The Gersh Agency.

SARAH PAULSON

Award-winning actress Sarah Paulson has built an impressive list of credits in film, television and on stage. Paulson’s Emmy win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie was earned for her portrayal of attorney Marcia Clark in FX’s critically acclaimed miniseries The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Paulson also received a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild award, a Critics Choice Award, as well as a Television Critics Association award for this role. On television, she was most recently seen in the eighth installment of Ryan’s Murphy’s award-winning television series American Horror Story for FX, in which she also made her directorial debut. Paulson has received five Emmy nominations for her roles in the franchise, as well as two Critics Choice Awards. Her other award nominations were for her work in HBO’s Game Change and NBC’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. She is currently in production on the upcoming seriesRatched for Netflix in which she plays the title character of Nurse Ratched, and also serves as Executive Producer. In film, Paulson was last seen starring in M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller Glass, Netflix’s hit Bird Box, and Warner Bros’ Ocean’s 8. She recently wrapped production on Aneesh Chaganty’s Run for Lionsgate, and will next be seen in Warner Bros’ The Goldfinch this fall. Paulson’s other film credits include Todd Haynes’ critically acclaimed Carol, Steve McQueen’s Academy Award winning 12 Years a Slave, Jeff Nichols’ Mud, Steven Spielberg’s The Post, as well as in Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Spirit, Down with Love, What Women Want, and The Other Sister. On stage, Paulson last appeared in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of Lanford Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize winning play “Talley’s Folly.” She previously starred on Broadway in “Collected Stories,” and “The Glass Menagerie.”

Paulson is represented by CAA.

JOHN SLATTERY

John Slattery is an Emmy-nominated and renowned actor of TV, film, and stage. Slattery received four Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of “Roger Sterling” in AMC’s critically-acclaimed Mad Men. Slattery also directed several episodes of Mad Men, and Judd Apatow’s Love, and helmed the feature God’s Pocket, in 2014, which premiered at Sundance. Slattery starred in Tom McCarthy’s Oscar-winning feature film, Spotlight, which received SAG’s Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture award, the Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award, and the Oscar for Best Picture. Slattery previous credits include Ant-Man, The Adjustment Bureau, Iron Man 2, Bluebird, Flags of our Fathers, Charlie Wilson’s War, Mona Lisa Smile, The Station Agent, and Traffic. Slattery is instantly recognizable from numerous television roles, including Wet Hot American Summer, which earned him a Critic’s Choice nomination for best guest actor, Documentary Now, Arrested Development, Sex and the City, Veep, and K Street. On Broadway, Slattery appeared in the Pulitzer Prize-winning Rabbit Hole, earning him a Drama League Award, the revival of Betrayal, Neil Simon’s Laughter on the 23rd Floor and most recently, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur’s The Front Page opposite Nathan Lane. Slattery will next appear in the new FOX drama series neXt.

Slattery is represented by The Gersh Agency and Untitled Entertainment.

JEANNE TRIPPLEHORN

Jeanne Tripplehorn can soon be seen opposite Cate Blanchett and John Slattery in FX’s Mrs. America. Tripplehorn can currently be seen onscreen in Glorida Bell opposite Julianne Moore, Brad Garrett, and Michael Cera, directed by Sebastian Lelio. Coming up, she can be seen in Ana opposite Andy Garcia and Daphne Keene. She recently appeared in Little Pink House starring opposite Catherine Keener. Some of her earlier work includes the HBO film, Grey Gardens for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actress in a Television Movie. The drama is based on the real life story of Park Avenue debutante “Big Edie” (Lange) and her daughter “Little Edie” (Barrymore) Bouvier Beale who were cousins to Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (Tripplehorn). Tripplehorn was also part of the acclaimed HBO series Big Love for five seasons. The series was nominated for Golden Globes in both 2007 and 2008 for “Best Dramatic Television Series” and an Emmy nomination this year for “Best Television Drama”. Starring opposite Bill Paxton, Ginnifer Goodwin and Chloe Sevigny, Big Love centers around a polygamist (Bill Paxton) and his relationship with the three wives (Tripplehorn, Goodwin and Sevigny). Tripplehorn’s feature film credits include: Morning with Laura Linney and Elliott Gould, Relative Values with Julie Andrews; Mickey Blue Eyes with Hugh Grant and James Caan; Very Bad Things with Leland Orser; and Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow. Other film credits include Til There Was You; Waterworld; The Night We Never Met and Sydney Pollack’s The Firm, opposite Tom Cruise. Tripplehorn made her motion picture debut in Paul Verhoven’s Basic Instinct opposite Michael Douglas. Tripplehorn’s television credits include the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of William Faulkner’s Old Man and The Perfect Tribute, with Jason Robards.

Jeanne Tripplehorn is repped by Gersh and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

TRACEY ULLMAN

Tracey Ullman is best known for her series The Tracey Ullman Show, which aired on FOX from 1987-1990, and established the English-born comedienne as one of primetime’s major comic talents. The series earned numerous awards during its run, including several Emmy Awards, two for Ullman herself. Over the years Ullman has earned many industry honors, including seven Emmys, a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, three CableACEs, eight American Comedy Awards, and a BAFTA. In 2014, Ullman was seen in Into the Woods alongside Meryl Streep. Most recently, Ullman played the formidable Aunt Juley in the limited series Howards End for the BBC and Starz. In 2016, The Tracey Ullman Show returned for BBC and HBO, which met with acclaimed success and an Emmy nomination. The following year, Ullman also released a new series, Tracey Breaks The News.

Ullman is represented by CAA and Hamilton Hodell.

DIRECTOR BIOS

ANNA BODEN and RYAN FLECK

Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck most recently co-wrote and directed Captain Marvel, making Boden the first female director in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The directing partners met while studying at NYU film school, and their first collaboration was the documentary Young Rebels. In 2006, Fleck and Boden wrote, and Fleck directed, the feature film Half Nelson starring Ryan Gosling, who received an Academy Award® nomination for his performance. The film also won Movie of the Year at the AFI Awards, the duo received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Screenplay, and Fleck won Best Director at several regional awards including the Gotham Awards, Boston Society of Film Critics’ Awards, New York Film Critics Circle Awards and the Philadelphia Film Festival. Fleck and Boden next wrote and directed the independent film Sugar, an introspective sports drama following the life of a talented Dominican baseball player, which won Movie of the Year at the AFI Awards. In 2010, Fleck and Boden wrote and directed It’s Kind of a Funny Story starring Keir Gilchrist, Lauren Graham, Zach Galifianakis and Zoey Kravitz. Their next project, the dramedy Mississippi Grind, starred Ben Mendelsohn, Ryan Reynolds and Sienna Miller and was released by A24 to critical acclaim. In television, Fleck and Boden have directed episodes of HBO’s Room 104 and Looking, as well as Showtime’s Billions, The Affair and The Big C.