The tumultuous America of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln was undoubtedly a man's world, but behind the legendary 16th President of the United States — one of the greatest figures in American history — stood a fascinatingly complex, shrewd, and passionate woman: Mary Todd Lincoln. "Without a Mary Todd," asserts Oscar-winner Sally Field, who portrays the paradoxical First Lady opposite Daniel Day-Lewis, "there would not have been an Abraham Lincoln."
Spielberg's Lincoln, adapted by Pulitzer Prize-winner Tony Kushner from Doris Kearns' biography Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, brings the iconic Lincoln to life at the close of the Civil War, just prior to his 1865 assassination. Reenacting Lincoln's precarious inter-party political dealings and dogged commitment to passing the Thirteenth Amendment, Lincoln depicts a pivotal, history-making period in the President's career, taking care to highlight the impact made by his most under-acknowledged political partner — wife Mary Todd.
And what indelible contributions did the emotionally volatile, smart, and savvy Mary Todd make to her husband's legacy? Field sat down with Movieline to discuss the fantastically complicated First Lady of Lincoln — wife, mother, society figure, and trusted advisor — and why, as an actress "of age," roles like these come along far too rarely.
They say behind every great man is a great woman, perhaps especially so in Lincoln?s case, but the world in their time wasn?t quite up to speed with that thinking. Did you feel a certain responsibility to represent strong womanhood knowing that you were one of very few female characters in this cast?
No. It wasn?t my task to do that. I could not feel that. That would have been absolutely in my way. I was given this great opportunity to portray…
Erika Christensen Estella Warren Esther Cañadas Eva Green Eva Longoria Eva Mendes Evangeline Lilly Eve
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