FX gets Cate Blanchett to star in Mrs. America, playing conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly

Variety

The limited series on the modern history of the women's movement will mark the two-time Oscar winner's first regular American TV series role. FX says Mrs. America, from former Mad Men and Halt and Catch Fire writer Dahvi Waller, will explore the rise of feminism and the push for the Equal Rights Amendment through feminist icons like Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Shirley Chisholm and Bella Abzug -- and through Schlafly, the conservative firebrand who led the backlash to feminism in the 1970s. “Cate Blanchett is one the great actors of our time — and we are truly honored to have her star in Mrs. America," says FX CEO John Landgraf.  “We have no doubt that Cate is the perfect actor to play the role of Phyllis Schlafly, who was one of the most polarizing and fascinatingly complex figures of the ‘70s for her opposition to and role in defeating the Equal Rights Amendment, which to this day has never been ratified."