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In 1972, amid the second wave of the women’s movement, Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment, which mandates legal equality for men and women, and prohibits discrimination based on sex. The amendment was sent to the states for ratification, but momentum slowed as opposition grew. Ultimately, not enough states ratified the proposal by the deadline, resulting in a crushing defeat for feminism and women across the country.
The upcoming FX series Mrs. America revisits the fight for the ERA through the eyes of feminist leaders Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Shirley Chisholm, Bella Abzug, and Jill Ruckelshaus, as well as their biggest opposition, conservative organizer Phyllis Schlafly. An A-list cast including Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Uzo Aduba, and Sarah Paulson brings these iconic roles and their historic achievements to life. Here, flip through to see how the stars transformed into their real-life counterparts.
Mrs. America premieres on April 15 through FX on Hulu.
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Rose Byrne as Gloria Steinem
Bridesmaids and Neighbors star Rose Byrne is the spitting image of feminist Gloria Steinem, one of the faces of the women’s movement in the ’60s and ’70s. During her career as a writer, Steinem cofounded Ms. Magazine and was one of the first columnists for New York Magazine. As an organizer, she helped found organizations like the National Women’s Political Caucus and the Women’s Media Center.
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Uzo Aduba as Shirley Chisholm
Orange Is the New Black‘s Uzo Aduba takes the role of Shirley Chisholm, who broke several barriers as an African-American politician in the ’60s and ’70s. Hailing from Brooklyn, she was the first Black woman in Congress and the first Black woman to pursue the nomination for president in a major political party.
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Cate Blanchett as Phyllis Schlafly
Oscar winner Cate Blanchett makes her series-regular debut as a controversial figure in the women’s movement, Phyllis Schlafly—she was an author and the grassroots organizer who campaigned against Communism, abortion rights, and the Equal Rights Amendment, according to The New York Times. So staunch was she in her opposition that she was dubbed “the first lady of the conservative movement” by right-wing writer and political figure Richard Viguerie.
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Tracey Ullman as Betty Freidan
British actress Tracey Ullman, best known for her eponymous variety sketch show, will play The Feminine Mystique author Betty Friedan. Her book, published in 1963, was seminal to the modern feminist movement, as she analyzed and unpacked the lives of women in a post-World War II society. Unsurprisingly, she clashed with conservative Schlafly.
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Margo Martindale as Bella Abzug
Margo Martindale has appeared in August: Osage County, The Good Wife, and The Americans; in Mrs. America, she’ll appear as women’s rights activist Bella Abzug, who served as a New York state representative in the ’70s. An ardent and vocal feminist, she campaigned with the cheeky slogan, “This woman’s place is in the House … the House of Representatives.”
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Elizabeth Banks as Jill Ruckelshaus
After starring in and directing the Charlie’s Angels reboot, Elizabeth Banks will portray activist Jill Ruckelshaus, who served as White House assistant and head of the Office of Women’s Programs in the ’70s. A pro-choice, moderate Republican, Ruckelshaus was nicknamed the “Gloria Steinem of the Republican party,” which wasn’t always a compliment from her right-wing peers.
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John Slattery as Fred Schlafly
Mad Men alum John Slattery is playing Phyllis Schlafly’s husband, Fred, a wealthy and conservative lawyer. They married in 1949. The Times pointed out that Phyllis often used to start her speeches with a tongue-in-cheek thank-you to her spouse and would include the phrase, “letting me come here,” because she knew it would annoy her feminist critics.
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James Marsden as Phil Crane
Westworld star James Marsden suits up as Republican Illinois Congressman Phil Crane, who served for decades starting in 1969. He was known for championing right-wing causes and leading the American Conservative Union.
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Jay Ellis as Frank Thomas
Also known as Insecure‘s Lawrence, Jay Ellis appears as Franklin “Frank” Thomas, Gloria Steinem’s love interest on the show. Their romance did exist in real life, as she referred to him as “the longtime love of my life, and best friend,” to The New Yorker. She also posted an homage to him on Facebook in 2015. Thomas is a lawyer, former member of U.S. Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee on South Africa, and was president of the Ford Foundation for 17 years.
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Jeanne Tripplehorn as Eleanor Schlafly
The Basic Instinct, Big Love, and Criminal Minds star plays Fred Shlafly’s sister, Eleanor Schlafly, and therefore Phyllis’s sister-in-law. She cofounded the Cardinal Mindszenty Foundation in St. Louis as a Catholic organization opposing Communism and promoting traditional values.
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Niecy Nash as Florynce “Flo” Kennedy
The Claws star appears as civil rights activist, feminist, and lawyer Florynce Kennedy. She represented the Black Panthers, fought racism in the media, and founded the Feminist Party in 1971 (which nominated Shirley Chisholm for president in 1972), among many other accomplishments.
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Bria Henderson as Margaret Sloan-Hunter
Newcomer Bria Henderson becomes Margaret Sloan-Hunter, a prolific Black feminist and writer, and an early editor at Gloria Steinem’s Ms. magazine. She also founded the National Black Feminist Organization in 1973.
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Ari Graynor as Brenda Feigen Fasteau
On TV, Ari Graynor recently starred in Showtime’s I’m Dying Up Here; in film, her recent appearances include The Front Runner and The Disaster Artist. On Mrs. America, she’s Brenda Feigen Fasteau, a pro-ERA feminist and lawyer who cofounded ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project with Ruth Bader Ginsberg. She also cofounded the Women’s Action Alliance with Gloria Steinem and Catherine Samuels.
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Adam Brody as Marc Feigen Fasteau
The O.C.‘s Seth Cohen is Mrs. America’s Marc Feigen Fasteau, Brenda Feigen’s Harvard Law classmate-turned-husband. (They combined last names.) Together, they filed a class-action lawsuit against Harvard Club for not allowing women to be members. In 1974, he wrote the book The Male Machine, which tackled gender stereotypes. He even got praise from Gloria Steinem.
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Kayli Carter as Pamela
Appearing in the upcoming Let Him Go (Diane Lane, Kevin Costner) and Netflix gem Private Life (Kathryn Hahn, Paul Giamatti), Kayli Carter joins the Mrs. America cast as the fictional character Pamela, a young housewife and member of Phyllis’s anti-ERA movement.
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Melanie Lynskey as Rosemary Thomson
Melanie Lynskey, whose credits include The Informant, Away We Go, and Two and a Half Men, portrays Rosemary Thomson, another member of the anti-ERA movement and Phyllis Schlafly’s inner circle. She was the president of the Illinois chapter of Stop ERA.
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Sarah Paulson as Alice
Rounding out the star-studded cast is American Crime Story and American Horror Story favorite Sarah Paulson, who will play a fictional character named simply Alice, a friend of Phyllis’s.