Decades before the United States began seriously considering women as viable candidates for president, Hollywood and the television industry had been presenting the possibility on both the big and small screen.
From comedies to dramas dealing with all sorts of crises – from espionage and skulduggery to alien invasions – these characters shifted the perception of a woman head of state, while also offering idealistic and sometimes cynical takes on the US political system.
Viola Davis is the next actress to take to the Oval Office on screen in the action film G20, which releases on Amazon Prime on Thursday. She plays President Danielle Sutton, who defends her family and fellow world leaders when terrorists attack a world summit in South Africa. While the plot may not be as realistic as the real-life battles politicians face, roles like these – big and small, significant or symbolic – can lay the cultural groundwork for women to break one of the biggest glass ceilings of all.
Here are six other portrayals of female US presidents that made a big impression.
1. President Leslie McCloud: Kisses for My President (1964)
Although it was the first major production to depict a woman as head of state, Kisses for My President was largely reduced to a comedic novelty. The plot primarily revolves around the discomfort of male politicians having to answer to a female president. But Polly Bergen delivers a spirited performance as President McCloud. While the film neither made – nor intended to make – a significant social impact, it remains a landmark for introducing such a concept to the screen in the first place.
2. President Mackenzie Allen from Commander in Chief (2005 to 2006)
With Hillary Clinton strongly rumoured to be running for the White House in the 2008 election, Commander in Chief struck a chord with the public when it premiered – despite ending in a disappointing one-season run in 2006.
Screen veteran Geena Davis earned a Golden Globe for her performance as President Allen, who assumes office after the sudden death of the incumbent and struggles to make her mark on a concerned nation, a cynical White House, and political rivals. The promising concept was hampered by off-screen troubles – including three different showrunners – causing the series to shift erratically in tone from political to family drama. Mackenzie’s centrist values were also seen as too bland for viewers.
3. President Allison Taylor from 24 (2009-2010)
Cherry Jones’ steely, Emmy Award-winning portrayal of the president across seasons seven and eight of the hit television drama arrived a year after Clinton’s ground-breaking bid for the presidency.
While the series didn’t draw directly from her campaign, it did a superb job of presenting a formidable president navigating a series of seemingly never-ending national security crises and ethical dilemmas – all with the kind of calm authority typically seen on screen from male counterparts.
4. President Selina Meyer from Veep (2012 to 2019)
A key message from this brilliant and biting satirical series is that politics and ambition can corrupt anyone involved.
As vice president turned head of state over the show’s eight-season run, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ portrayal of Selina Meyer – a shrewd yet deeply flawed political operator – dispels perceived gender roles in politics. Veep shows that, instead, it is an uncompromising arena where everyone, regardless of gender, can be compromised.
5. President Lanford from Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)
The most recent female US head of state seen in a major Hollywood film appeared in this sequel to the alien invasion blockbuster. While Sela Ward’s performance as President Lanford is mostly limited to the first half of the film, her portrayal of a leader guiding the US – and essentially all of human civilisation – in its defence against invading aliens is solid in setting up the drama that follows.
5. President Constance Payton from State of Affairs (2014 to 2015)
The significance of the character has long outlasted the lacklustre quality of this political espionage drama, which was cancelled after just one season. With Alfre Woodard playing President Constance Payton, State of Affairs is regarded as the first US television drama to portray a black female president – years ahead of former Vice President Kamala Harris’s first presidential run in 2020.
6. President Elizabeth McCord from Madame Secretary (from 2014 to 2019)
Tea Leoni’s career comeback as Elizabeth McCord, who moves from Secretary of State to eventually become the first female US president, carried added cultural significance, especially given the show's multi-season run.
Another interesting aspect of the series is that it didn’t rely too much on genre tropes – such as scandals or never-ending crises – to keep viewers enthralled, choosing instead to anchor the drama around the human relationships intrinsic to effective policymaking.
While not as idealistic as The West Wing, the show placed a premium on intelligent and ethical characters, with McCord leading the pack. No wonder, then, the series was praised by politicians, with Hillary Clinton and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright making cameo appearances.
