We just had to do a double–take.
On Feb. 2, STARZ released the first teaser for their new series Gaslit, and we almost didn't recognize Sean Penn. In the drama series—which premieres April 24 and is based on the first season of Slate's Slow Burn podcast hosted by Leon Neyfakh—Penn stars as Richard Nixon's loyal Attorney General, John Mitchell. The teaser features a fully transformed Penn, who sports a receding hairline and a large stature.
Gaslit, starring Penn, Julia Roberts, Dan Stevens and Betty Gilpin, is "a modern take on Watergate that focuses on the untold stories and forgotten character of the scandal—from Nixon's bumbling, opportunistic subordinates, to the deranged zealots aiding and abetting their crimes, to the tragic whistleblowers who would eventually bring the whole rotten enterprise crashing down," according to the series description.
"You are the first person to publicly accuse the President for the Watergate break–in. Are you crazy?" An interviewer asks Martha Mitchell (Roberts), the wife of John, in the first look.
"I'm a Southern woman," Martha adds. "We speak our minds, I never stop talkin'."
The tense trailer continues with a shattered glass table and lots of shouting, with John even telling his wife, "You want to know the truth? There's no conspiracy hiding in the shadows."
But Martha doesn't buy it. "Mrs. Mitchell, why risk your husband's position?" she is asked at the end of the clip.
"Because it's the truth," she replies.
For a peek at Penn's wild transformation, check out the first Gaslit teaser for yourself above or scroll through the first look photos below!
In Gaslit, Julia Roberts portrays the wife of Richard Nixon's loyal Attorney General.
We didn't even recognize Sean Penn in this Gaslit sneak peek.
Another look at Penn's portrayal of AG John Mitchell.
The Homecoming actor plays an infamous player in the Watergate scandal.
Roberts' Mrs. Mitchell talks with a reporter in this Gaslit image.
The GLOW actress is playing the wife of former White House attorney John Dean.
Dan Stevens is John Dean in Gaslit.
Another peek at Stevens and Gilpin's transformations into Mr. and Mrs. Dean.
Something is not right in this tense Gaslit snapshot.