One of American history's most controversial times was fought in the 1970s when a conservative woman opposed the Equal Rights Amendment and helped ratify the bill, and "Mrs. America" is telling the story.

The leader of the ‘STOP ERA’ movement was Phyllis Schlafly, and she will be played by none other than Cate Blanchett (“The Lord Of The Rings” and “Blue Jasmine”) in what will be her first U.S. TV series.

Blanchett spoke back in October of last year when the TV series was first announced and she said, “I feel privileged to have this opportunity to collaborate with Dahvi [Waller], Stacey [Sher], and Coco [Francini] under the robust and fearless FX umbrella,” she continued.

“I am extremely excited about delving into the material as there couldn’t be a more appropriate time to peel back the layers of this recent period of history, which couldn’t be more relevant today.”

The bill if passed in the state that it was would have enabled women the same legal equality as men have, meaning they would have gender-specific privileges taken away. The series will look at Schlafly’s fight against supporters of the bill including Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Shirley Chisolm, Bella Abzug, and Jill Ruckelshaus.

The series is directed and written by Waller, who has worked previously on “Mad Men” while the project is produced by Sher (“Django Unchained”) and Francini (“The Hateful Eight”).

There are also roles for Rose Byrne (“Bad Neighbours”), Uzo Aduba (“Orange Is The New Black”), Margo Martindale (“August: Osage County”) and Elizabeth Banks (“The Hunger Games”).



Mrs. America tells the story of the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), and the unexpected backlash led by a conservative woman named Phyllis Schlafly, played by Blanchett. Through the eyes of the women of that era – both Schlafly and second-wave feminists Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Shirley Chisholm, Bella Abzug and Jill Ruckelshaus – the series explores how one of the toughest battlegrounds in the culture wars of the 70s helped give rise to the Moral Majority and forever shifted our political landscape.

The series will hit FX on Hulu on April 15. Watch the new trailer below.