What do Gillian Anderson and Eleanor Roosevelt have in common?
Follow us on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hello! It’s Mark Olsen, film writer for The Times and “The Envelope” podcast co-host. This week on the show, I’m chatting with Gillian Anderson, who plays Eleanor Roosevelt in “The First Lady.”
Taking on a historical figure isn’t new for Anderson — who also plays Margaret Thatcher in “The Crown” and Catherine’s mother, Joanna, in “The Great.” Nor is portraying a character who stays in her lane, which wasn’t a stretch from Anderson’s own personality. “There was never, ever telling Gillian what she could or couldn’t do,” she recalls her mother sharing.
In our conversation, we talked about Eleanor Roosevelt as the brains behind the FDR presidency, the focus on Roosevelt’s loving relationship with journalist Lorena Hickok in “The First Lady,” and why it took her some time to click with “Sex Education.”
She pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable then and what is still acceptable today in terms of romantic love and companionship.
— Gillian Anderson on Eleanor Roosevelt
Listen now wherever you get your podcasts or on latimes.com, where you can also read the full transcript.
Thanks, and happy listening!
Can't get enough about awards season?
For more, follow us on Twitter at @villarrealy and @IndieFocus, and for a deeper dive into the best new movies, get Mark’s weekly Indie Focus newsletter.
If you’re enjoying this newsletter, please consider subscribing to The Times.
Feedback? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at awards@latimes.com.
From the Oscars to the Emmys.
Get the Envelope newsletter for exclusive awards season coverage, behind-the-scenes stories from the Envelope podcast and columnist Glenn Whipp’s must-read analysis.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
