the genius casting of impeachment

from my early childhood, i have been utterly obsessed with true crime. typically, my interest lies in the investigation of murder and other such heinous crimes; but a case that has haunted my brain all my life is that of former president bill clinton- perhaps one of the greatest abusers of power in american history.

now, i could honestly go on and on for days about the lewinsky scandal, and i won’t subject anyone to that. for the sake of a dead horse, i will simply be discussing the gorgeous casting choices of the ryan murphy series based on the case- american crime story: impeachment. upon hearing that a series would be made about the case, i was equally excited and nervous. i knew it would be interesting and would bring light to different perspectives, but i feared that it would just be another cheap jab at a woman’s dignity. however, five episodes into the series, i can say that my fears were unfounded.

first of all, i’d like to talk about the positively genius casting of beanie feldstein as monica lewinsky. i feel that monica is likely a difficult woman to portray as an actress because of the pictures so recklessly painted of her by the media. however, beanie allows you to see monica as she was and is- human. she talks about heartache and diets and sales at macy’s. she is more than the tabloids of the late 90s would have you think, and beanie makes this abundantly clear with her masterful subtlety and sweetness. you see monica in yourself and yourself in her, which is very different from most other portrayals of her that i’ve seen (i’m looking at you, saturday night live).

the casting, in my opinion, is wonderful all around. sarah paulson plays linda tripp seamlessly, evoking a conflict between pity, relatability, and unlikability.  at first, i had my doubts about billy eichner being cast, but he makes an incredible drudge and truly steals the few scenes he’s in. cobie smulders is an absolutely uncanny ann coulter, bringing a chill to my spine each time i experience her stone cold grimace and icy wit. annaleigh ashford is a sad, endearing paula jones. judith light captures susan carpenter-mcmillan’s calculated goodness brilliantly. so far, we’ve only seen glimpses of edie falco as hillary clinton, but i cannot wait to see her impeccable acting as such a complex character. the makeup artists and stylists on this show all deserve raises for transforming these actors into these infamous icons of the 1990s. i’ve even seen people compare pictures from real life with stills from the show, and the attention to detail is incomparable and greatly appreciated by viewers like me, who tend to do extra research on the subject matter.

as with all of my blogs, this is a bit self-indulgent, and i completely understand why someone would be uninterested in dissecting something that happened so long ago. however, if you have any interest in true crime cases involving the abuse of power, feminism, and trial by media, this is absolutely something for you. there’s a ton out there about this scandal, and if you find the right resources, it can be super informative and interesting. below, i listed a couple articles that i enjoyed reading and found helpful in my personal research. i hope that if you have any interest in this case, you’ll take a look at these and gain something from them 🙂

Monica Lewinsky – Dress, Bill Clinton & Now – HISTORY

President Clinton’s Answers to Judiciary Committee’s 81 Questions | AustralianPolitics.com

These Are the Sexual-Assault Allegations Against Bill Clinton (businessinsider.com)

 

Author: Emma Stapp

☆writer, musician, 4w5, jason bateman enthusiast! i love studying pop culture, movies, shows, and music☆

One thought on “the genius casting of impeachment”

  1. as always, i absolutely LOVED this blog. just started watching it, and i have to say, i cant agree more that the casting is perfect!

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