Via The Hill |
Patricia Clarkson is reportedly poised to play Lilly Ledbetter in a film about the equal pay advocate's life.
The "Sharp Objects" actress will star in "Lilly," Variety reported Tuesday.
The film, from director Rachel Feldman, is based on the life of the woman after whom former President Obama named his first piece of legislation in 2009, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
Ledbetter, 82, played one of the most prominent roles in the equal pay movement after winning her gender pay discrimination case against her former employer, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.
When the Supreme Court overruled the decision, Ledbetter advocated for legislation to fix the wage gap.
The drama, Feldman says on a promotional site, "tells the story of sexual harassments that morph into David & Goliath legal and moral battles and the uneducated woman who transforms into a warrior for justice, single-handedly changing an American law."
'Lilly' captures the zeitgeist of today as women all over the world challenge patriarchal systems of oppressions and inequity," says the team behind the independent film, which is reportedly seeking a distributor.
The real-life Ledbetter endorsed President Biden's White House bid last March, on Equal Pay Day.
Clarkson, 61, told Variety that when she told her mother she'd be taking on the role, "she had to put the phone down to catch her breath."
"Playing Lilly is truly an honor," the Academy Award-nominated performer said, "I’m thrilled to bring this extraordinary woman to life."