See the Modern Stars Side-by-Side with Real Historic Figures

Michael Shannon as James Garfield

Michael Shannon takes the oath of office as James A. Garfield, the 20th president of the United States.

Garfield became president in March 1881, but his term was cut short when he was shot by Guiteau at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station on July 2, 1881, per Britannica.com. He later died at age 49 on Sept. 19, 1881.

“I never ever in my wildest dreams would imagine someone would ask me to play a president of the United States,” Shannon told Today in October 2025. “I didn’t know much about Garfield, but the more I learned about him, the more I fell in love with the guy.”

“He really embodied what it meant to be a civil servant, he wasn’t hunting for power or control or anything like that,” the actor continued. “He just wanted to help make America a genuinely better place for all of its citizens.”

Matthew Macfadyen as Charles Guiteau

Matthew Macfadyen stars as Charles J. Guiteau, who changed the course of American history by assassinating the president he revered.

He was Garfield’s “greatest admirer and became his assassin, ultimately,” Macfadyen explained during a November 2025 interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

The Succession alum told Seth Meyers it was “fascinating” to dive into U.S. history while playing Guiteau.

“It’s a treat as an actor. You become an expert in a little bit of history now and then,” he said, adding that Death by Lightning “doesn’t feel like a dusty period piece.”

Following the president’s death, Guiteau was charged with murder, and a months-long trial ensued. In the end, Guiteau died at age 40 from hanging on June 30, 1882, per the National Park Service.

Nick Offerman as Chester Arthur

Nick Offerman plays Chester A. Arthur, the man who succeeded Garfield as the 21st president from 1881 to 1885.

Speaking to PEOPLE at the New York City premiere of Death by Lightning, the Parks and Recreation alum shared that undergoing a physical transformation helped him get into the role of playing Arthur.

“I had an incredible fat suit. I had my own big mutton chops and I put on about 20 pounds to add some chin,” he said, adding how he had “incredible costumes.”

Offerman continued, “I had a paper collar that was too tight, so I’d button up the collar and that would make my under-chins way too fat, then I put on the fat suit. The discomfort that came from that, it was all the personality that I needed.”

Betty Gilpin as Lucretia Garfield

Betty Gilpin portrays Lucretia “Crete” Garfield (née Rudolph), the wife of Garfield.

After her husband’s assassination, she spent years collecting and organizing his papers, eventually creating the first presidential memorial library, per the National Park Service.

Starring as Lucretia isn’t the first time Gilpin has played a former first lady widow. In January 2025, she took over the role of Mary Todd Lincoln in the hit Broadway play, Oh, Mary!.

That same month, Gilpin revealed that she was offered the Oh, Mary! role while playing Lucretia in Death by Lightning.

“I had spent a year meditating on how frustrating it must be to be the First Lady, just pacing the halls of the White House. And I was doing that when I got Oh, Mary!,” she told Vogue. “I was sitting in a fake oval office … I got the text and nearly passed out. There was even a painting of Abraham Lincoln with a rainbow behind it.”

Bradley Whitford as James Blaine

Bradley Whitford takes on the role of Secretary of State James Blaine, who was with Garfield when he was shot, per the University of Virginia’s Miller Center.

Death by Lightning is only the latest political project for Whitford.

He previously played Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman on The West Wing, before portraying government official Commander Joseph Lawrence in The Handmaid’s Tale. Most recently, he joined The Diplomat season 3 cast as First Gentleman Todd Penn.

In September 2024, Whitford was absent from a West Wing reunion on the Emmys because he was filming Death by Lightning.

“It breaks my heart not to be able to be with my West Wing family at the Emmys tonight or at the White House later this week to celebrate our 25th birthday,” the actor wrote on X.

He continued, “But I’m in Budapest on another White House set pretending to work for another administration. (I know. I need to work on my range.).”

Shea Whigham as Roscoe Conkling

Shea Whigham plays Roscoe Conkling, a New York politician who served in both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate. He was a powerful figure who counted Garfield and Blaine as his adversaries.

“Although he was vindictive and overbearing, he was handsome, intelligent, and capable of orating for hours at a time without losing either a word of his memorized speech or a listener,” read a description of Conkling, per the National Park Service.

It continued, “Gaudy as a peacock, he makes the political leaders of our era pale into shadows in comparison. He was not a pleasant man, but he stirred strong emotions, and he had a considerable impact on American history.”

According to WNYC, Conkling was “arguably the most powerful man in the country,” controlling “a major faction of the Republican Party.” He was considered influential enough “to make or break presidential candidates.”

Vondie Curtis-Hall as Frederick Douglass

Vondie Curtis-Hall appears as anti-slavery activist Frederick Douglass.

Douglass was one of the most famous abolitionists in American history. He fought for equality after escaping slavery in Maryland in 1838. He was a gifted orator and writer who would become an important figure in the movement for racial equality.

He also became involved with the women’s rights movement, co-founding the American Equal Rights Association with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, according to the National Women’s History Museum.

Laura Marcus as Mollie Garfield

Laura Marcus portrays Mollie Garfield, the daughter of the president.

Out of the couple’s seven children, only five “survived into adulthood,” per PBS, and Mollie was the only girl to do so.

“I play the President’s daughter Mollie who I absolutely love,” Marcus told Country & Town House in 2024. “She’s an outspoken, bold and deeply intelligent young lady. I cannot wait for everyone to watch this truly special project.”