Keala Settle, best known for her role as the bearded lady Lettie Lutz in the 2017 film The Greatest Showman, has spoken candidly about the struggles she faced after sudden fame. The Broadway performer, now starring as Mary Lincoln in the stage production Mrs President at London's Charing Cross Theatre, admitted she turned to alcohol and pills to cope with the public scrutiny that followed her breakout role.
In an interview, Settle reflected on her journey to self-acceptance, which she says took a decade. The 50-year-old actor said she 'ran from fear' and engaged in self-destructive behaviour before finding her footing. She now feels that her own experiences with celebrity and grief prepared her to portray Mary Lincoln, the widow of President Abraham Lincoln, who was vilified by the media after his assassination.
The play, written by John Ransom Phillips and directed by Bronagh Lagan, imagines a meeting between Mary Lincoln and photographer Mathew Brady. Settle said she 'jumped at' the role, adding: 'I've never related to anything so closely.' She hopes audiences will see both herself and Mary Lincoln in a new light, and understand that she is determined to be herself, regardless of others' expectations.
Settle also discussed her multicultural upbringing, born in Hawaii to a Mormon father from Oldham and a mother from New Zealand. She described feeling caught between two worlds, and how her mother pushed her into performing. Her mother's death a decade ago was another connection to Mary Lincoln, who lost her own mother at a young age. Settle now lives in Brighton and retains a British accent, a remnant of watching British television shows like Fawlty Towers as a child.
