Laura Benanti has several iconic characters under her belt, but she's most well-known as Melania Trump... Audiences across the globe fell in love with the "No Hard Feelings" star when she was tapped to play Donald Trump's wife for "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." Benanti first debuted her take on the First Lady in 2016. The Broadway star captivated the nation with her satirical take on Melania, which suggested that she was held in the White House against her will. With Trump out of the Oval Office, Benanti has expanded her Melania, showing a different side of the American figurehead as she reacts to her husband's shenanigans.
While Benanti was a household name prior to her stint as Melania, it was her appearances on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" that turned her into a national sensation, boosting her clout as a comedian. While speaking with Vanity Fair, Benanti opened up about how she had little to no time to prepare as Melania for her first appearance. Since her debut appearance as Melania, Benanti has become a staple on the late-night show. Despite becoming a fixture, Benanti has no interest in making fun of Melania. "For me, I don't want to make fun of her, I want to make fun of him using her as the vehicle because obviously, I can't do a Trump impersonation," she told Vanity Fair. "So we just have to find the moments when she pops out and makes headlines for a few days."
Playing Trump elevated Benanti's career, with recent appearances including a role in Max's "Gossip Girl" revival and the cinematic adaptation of "Tick, Tick... Boom!" Now, with "No Hard Feelings," Benanti cements herself as one of Hollywood's (and Broadway's) most interesting character actors.
