The fight for equal rights is on.
With the debut of the FX on Hulu limited series Mrs. America, viewers are going back in time to the tumultuous 1970s when the feminist quest for equality took center stage and faced some major (and majorly surprising) opposition. The series, which premieres exclusively on the streaming service on Wednesday, April 15 with its first three episodes, brings to life iconic figures like Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm and Bella Abzug as they band together and fight for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, which would give women the same constitutional rights as men, and introduces Phyllis Schalfly, the conservative firebrand who stood in their way, determined to stop their progress. (The ERA remains, to this day, thwarted in Congress.)
Starring executive-producer Cate Blanchett as the confounding Schlafly–a woman who argued that women deserved no power while continuing to amass power of her own–Mrs. America features an impressive roster of Hollywood talent. And while some, like Sarah Paulson, are playing fictional characters created for the series, most are playing people who’ve actually existed.
Before you sit down to watch how a major progressive moment gave birth to the powerful so-called Moral Majority, forever shifting the landscape of American politics, see just who’s playing who and, most importantly, how they compare!
Sabrina Lantos/FX; AP/Shutterstock
Cate Blanchett as Phyllis Schlafly
The two-time Oscar winner stars in Mrs. America as the conservative Illinois housewife hellbent on stopping the Equal Rights Amendment dead in its tracks. She also served as executive-producer on the limited series.
Sabrina Lantos/FX; Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Rose Byrne as Gloria Steinem
The Bridesmaids and Spy star portrays the iconic feminist figure and co-founder of both Ms. Magazine and the National Woman’s Political Caucus.
Sabrina Lantos/FX; AP/Shutterstock
Tracey Ullman as Betty Friedan
The iconic and chameleonic comedian stars as the fiery author of The Feminine Mystique commonly referred to as the mother of the women’s movement.
Article continues below
Sabrina Lantos/FX; Everett/Shutterstock
Margo Martindale as Bella Abzug
The three-time Emmy winner known for her work on Justified and The Americans stars as the three-term Congresswoman from New York who coined the iconic campaign slogan “This woman’s place is in the house—the House of Representatives” and spearheaded the effort to ratify the ERA.
Sabrina Lantos/FX; Bettmann/Getty Images
Elizabeth Banks as Jill Ruckelshaus
The Hunger Games star and Charlie’s Angels director portrays the pro-choice and socially progressive Republican appointed by President Gerald Ford to run a presidential commission to advance women’s rights who fought to keep her party from being overtaken by the Religious Right.
Pari Dukovic/FX; Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Image
Uzo Aduba as Shirley Chisholm
The Orange Is the New Black actress stars as the first African American Congresswoman and first African American candidate to run for president from a national political party when she mounted an unprecedented campaign in 1972.
Article continues below
Sabrina Lantos/FX; Fairchild Archive/Penske Media/Shutterstock
Ari Graynor as Brenda Feigen-Fasteau
The I’m Dying Up Here star plays the young feminist and Harvard-educated lawyer who not only co-founded Ms. Magazine with Steinem, but also worked with future Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the ACLU.
FX; Brettman/Getty Images
Niecy Nash as Florynce “Flo” Kennedy
The Getting On and When They See Us star guests as the feminist activist and lawyer who served as friend and confidante to both Steinem and Chisholm and co-created the Black Feminist Organization from salon-style gatherings in her apartment.
Michael Gibson/FX; Rhs/AP/Shutterstock; Walt Disney Television via Getty Images
James Marsden as Phil Crane
The Westworld star guests as the conservative Congressman from Illinois with presidential aspirations who became one of Schlafly’s most powerful allies.
Article continues below
Sabrina Lantos/FX; Rhs/AP/Shutterstock
John Slattery as Fred Schlafly
The Mad Men actor stars as Phyllis’ husband, a prominent lawyer, GOP donor and anti-communist activist.
Mrs. America‘s first three episodes are available to stream now on Hulu. New episodes are available every Wednesday.