Viola Davis' Portrayal Of Michelle Obama Mocked Online After 'First Lady' Premiere

Viola Davis' portrayal of Michelle Obama in the new series "The First Lady" is raising eyebrows on social media.

Following the Showtime series' premiere Sunday, some viewers questioned an apparent character choice the "How to Get Away with Murder" alum has made in her portrayal of the former first lady, according to TMZ.

In the first episode, Davis pursed her lips several times, which some viewers thought was too excessive.

Some scenes from the show's debut episode that are already making rounds on social media include one in which Davis puts on a duck face as she talks to O-T Fagbenle, who plays former President Barack Obama.

Another featured Davis as Michelle rocking a kissy face while posing for a photoshoot.

Davis' facial expressions were met with ridicule on Twitter.

"At this point, Viola and Michelle are beefing. They need a 'Red Table Talk,'" one person tweeted. "I love Viola, but she did Michelle dirty," another opined.

"Turned on the 'First Lady' pilot and immediately busted out laughing," another commented.

"Michelle Obama did not purse her lips THAT much. What possessed Viola to think she should do that in every scene. I never thought I would see the day where Viola Davis gave a bad performance," a fourth Twitter user wrote.

Another suggested, "Viola Davis trolling in this [TV series]."

But other viewers felt that Davis was accurate in her portrayal of the former first lady, with one user claiming that the actress was "literally embodying her mannerisms."

"But it's accurate," another wrote alongside a snap of Michelle pouting her lips.

Another fan agreed, pointing out that the ex-FLOTUS "does scrunch up her mouth when she speaks." But the Twitter user claimed that while it "looks natural" on Michelle, it "looks odd" on Davis "even if it's factual."

Amid the mockery, many fans came to Davis' defense, saying that she is a great actor and her recent performance doesn't change that.

"She's Viola Davis. [I don't care] if she's poking her lip out too hard to play Michelle Obama. [I'm going to] stand beside her," one tweeted, while another said Davis remains the "G.O.A.T." (greatest of all time).

"Viola is one of, if not THE best actress of our current times, and literally no role will ever change my opinion of this. She's proven herself, people," another fan commented.

"Twitter becoming Viola’s PR team is the best thing to happen on this app," another wrote alongside a clip of Davis' performance in "Fences," for which she won the Oscar for best supporting actress.

Davis previously told Entertainment Weekly that she'd been overwhelmed on her first day of shooting "The First Lady."

"My first day was a scene where we arrived at the White House and we drove up and we walked in and there was me, Viola, in the back going, 'Holy s---' at just the shift and the change and the enormity of it all," she said.

"It definitely is not like any other job, because we're playing iconic characters that people have ownership of, people know," she continued. "I mean, with Michelle Obama anyway, they know how she talks, how she walks, how she wears her hair, the different incarnations of her eyebrows ... I didn't feel like I could approach it like any other character."

As for whether she had plans to adapt her own life story into a feature, the Oscar winner told Variety that nothing is in the works yet but noted that "whoever plays Viola Davis is yet to be discovered. She's gotta be a little chocolate girl."