O-T Fagbenle Wore Prosthetic Ears as Barack Obama in ‘The First Lady’
The First Lady is one of Showtime‘s recent additions, and it places a central focus on three of the most revolutionary first ladies of the United States. For possibly the first time, their husbands, the presidents, take a back seat. WeCrashed star O-T Fagbenle plays Barack Obama. Although he has an almost uncanny resemblance to the former president, he had to wear prosthetic ears to fully look like Obama.
O-T Fagbenle tried to get a sit down with Barack Obama for his role
Fagbenle has appeared in several shows and movies, including Black Widow, Doctor Who, and The Handmaid’s Tale. For his role in The First Lady, Fagbenle did what many actors do when tasked with playing a real-life person; he reached out to Obama.
He said to Variety, “I did try and get in contact with him, of course.” He told the publication that he tried leveraging his co-star Viola Davis’s relationship with the former first lady Michelle Obama to get a sit down with Obama.”
He said, “Viola knows Michelle and Viola had been chatting to Michelle, so I was like, ‘Yo, ViVi, yo help me out bro, you got a hook up!’ So she put me in contact with the personal assistant of the president.” Fagbenle said he felt very enthusiastic about meeting the former president and possibly playing “a bit of golf together” while they discussed the project.
However, his dreams were shattered as he got word back saying, “Barack would love to, but he’s booked up.” Fagbenle refused to believe that Obama was booked up, asking, “He’s booked up for three months? Just say you don’t wanna see me, bro. Just say you don’t want to see me.”
O-T Fagbenle had to wear prosthetic ears to look like Barack Obama in ‘The First Lady’
When playing a real-life person, it’s usually important to have the person’s mannerisms and look down pat. The makeup department on the set of The First Lady worked tirelessly to ensure Fagbenle looked like Obama as much as they could.
Makeup artist Carol Rasheed spoke to Coveteur about the process and revealed that for Fagbenle, having prosthetics helped him get deeper into the character. When asked if a specific detail stood out for her, Rasheed said, “We had ears made for [O-T] Fagbenle, who played Barack Obama. I think it helps them to get into character when you accentuate these details and lay them up a little bit.”
She complimented Fagbenle saying, “I think he looked brilliant.” Rasheed said the makeup team gave Fagbenle special teeth, and everything bundled together made for an uncanny resemblance.
Fagbenle told Variety that when they first decided to give him prosthetics the same size as Obama’s, the ears ended up sitting awkwardly and didn’t match his head., so the makeup department had to reduce the size to make them look more realistic.
Viola Davis faced criticism for her performance as Michelle Obama
Davis is a talented actor with a highly-acclaimed career. While she delivered a stellar performance as the former first lady Michelle Obama, some people felt she overacted, especially with her facial features.
Some fans claimed they were too distracted by Davis’s perpetually pursed lips, with some saying her acting was very different from Michelle’s mannerisms. Many also claimed the actor didn’t represent the iconic first lady adequately.
Davis clapped back, telling BBC, “Critics absolutely serve no purpose- They always feel like they’re telling you something that you don’t know. It gives them an opportunity to be cruel to you.” Davis said taking on such a powerful character was “absolutely terrifying” for her.
