BY AMY ALEXANDER
Who will play Michelle? The thought is too juicy to pass up.
It's inevitable that such a challenge will crop up in Hollywood. The question is -- can Hollywood continue dipping into its same small pool of black actresses and hope to find a realistic "Michelle Obama"?
Valerie Boyd, author of the upcoming "Spirits in the Dark: The Untold Story of Black Women in Hollywood," for Alfred A. Knopf, is skeptical that the industry will get it right. For one thing, "Her impact will be so much more long-lasting than that of any actress, of any color, by virtue of her being the first African-American First Lady in history," Boyd said.
"That, and Hollywood, while hard on all women once they begin to age, is even harder on black actresses ... it seems that most casting directors only know the names Angela Bassett or maybe one or two others," when they set out to cast black women characters of a certain age and gravitas.
Nonetheless, Boyd gave us her list of black actresses who may, someday, get the call to portray the Biggest Star in the World. If these names don't ring a bell to you, maybe it’s time to brush up on more than just the First Lady's fashion choices: Audra McDonald, Sanaa Lathan, Kimberly Elise, Nia Long, Regina King.
And of course, Angela Bassett.
We've put all of them in a slideshow for you. See who you'd tab for the plum part.
