Jayme Lawson To Play Young Michelle Obama In 'Showtime ‘The First Lady’

Variety is reporting that the upcoming Showtime series “The First Lady” has cast Kristine Froseth and Jayme Lawson.

The pair join previously announced series stars Viola Davis and Michelle Pfeiffer, who will play Michelle Obama and Betty Ford respectively. Formerly known as “First Ladies,” the show is described as a reframing of American leadership, told through the lens of the women at the heart of the White House. The first season of the series will also explore the life of Eleanor Roosevelt, with that role yet to be cast. It will be produced by Lionsgate Television and Showtime.

Froseth will play a young Ford as she trains as a dancer for Martha Graham in New York City, and into her 20s in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she worked for Herpolsheimer’s Department Store and eventually married Gerald Ford. Froseth will recur in three episodes.

Lawson will play Obama from ages 15-30. The series begins with Obama as a young woman in Chicago and follows her as a Harvard undergraduate and Princeton Law School student, eventually marrying Barack Obama in 1992. Lawson is a series regular.

Froseth previously starred in the Hulu series “Looking for Alaska.” Her other credits include the popular Netflix series “The Society” as well as the features “The Assistant,” “Low Tide,” and “Apostle.” She recently wrapped filming the lead role in the upcoming Amazon film “Birds of Paradise.”

Lawson made her feature film debut in “Farewell Amor” in 2020. She is next set to appear in Matt Reeves’ “The Batman.”