Concern about Viola Davis' portrayal of M. Obama in the "first lady" with regard to lip mimicking

[Demovictory9]

Viola Davis is a great great actress. A clipped from the first episode is going viral
Too much lip pursing

Link to tweet

video of Michelle speaking for comparison

Link to tweet

[elleng]

1. Thanks for the info; confirms my decision to skip that show.

[Auggie]

2. "I'm concerned" about the amount of "lip movement" by an actress?

Give me a break.

[tblue37]

3. Did you watch the clip? It is too much.

[Auggie]

12. You don't like it, I take it ...

That's fine. It's less vague than being "concerned."

[ms liberty]

4. My initial thought as well. But watch it. I's almost to the point of caricature. It is too much. n/t

[Demovictory9]

5. Yes..and its not even accurate caricature. M.O. doesnt move her lips that way

Her high cheek bones jut her mouth out a bit but her lips dont do what Viola was.doing

[hlthe2b]

7. Exactly... I suspect Viola was directed to do this excessively. I wish she had not complied.

[hlthe2b]

6. I watched the first episode in total. They have a point. Love Viola, but someone apparently directed

her to overly accentuate the lip pursing. It is not merely distracting. I was also sad to see (even if true) that they had her using the "N" word (and the slang word for a raccoon) to Obama to discuss why they were bombarded with early secret service detail as a Presidential Candidate when the others were not. It may not play out in the future episodes, but my initial impression is that this may turn out to be more of a "hit job" on the Obamas.

The portrayals of Eleanor Roosevelt and Betty Ford, by contrast, don't seem as jarring despite them not shying away from Ford's drinking issues.

[ms liberty]

8. Really? Did they emphasize that it was due to unprecedented threats to their lives or

Were they implying it was a different reason?

[hlthe2b]

9. I gave the context. It was still very jarring.

and in my opinion unnecessarily gratuitous.

[ms liberty]

10. Yea, then I won't even watch it...my bp doesn't need it! Thx!

[Auggie]

11. No one forced Viola. In an interview she said she intentionally studied Michelle.

[hlthe2b]

13. Then she made some shockingly bad choices. She nailed Michelle's walk and hand/arm mannerisms

but she so overdid the pursed lips that I would have thought she would have known better--given the centuries of horrendous racist caricature.

I think she will come to regret making that so much the focus of her portrayal. A little would have gone a long way.

[Auggie]

14. We can't cancel an actor for giving a performance in good faith

It's an artistic interpretation. You can dislike it, but equating it to "centuries of horrendous racist caricature" is unfair to Viola Davis.

We really should should critical of the plot which I understand takes very dramatic liberties with the Obama's storyline. I haven't seen the series yet but I will watch it.

I will cancel that absurdly vague Tweet, "I'm concerned." That's taking the coward's way out.

[hlthe2b]

15. Who the hell said anything about canceling her or anyone? DON'T put words in my mouth/post.

I gave her kudos for much of her portrayal, but not the overly exaggerated mouth pursing. Even the best actors make mistakes in their portrayals at times.

Given I appear to be the ONLY one on this thread who has actually seen the first episode, I find your comments toward me and my take really inappropriate. I actually DID discuss the way in which the series has thus far presented the Obamas in a post upstream. It is not merely Viola's exaggerated mouth movements that is problematic. The series may get past this and improve. There are 8 episodes, after all. But, thus far., I find it problematic.

And yes, the constantly exaggerated lip-pursing is such a caricature of Michelle Obama as to be offensive and not at all representative of her articulate speech and beauty. It is the kind of focus that racists would have adopted in decades/centuries past. I'm sure (quite obviously) that was not Viola's intent, but it was OTT. I hope it gets toned
down.

No more accusations, though. Once you have actually seen it, as I have, we can revisit your impressions. YMMV.