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T10 WHATS UP! May 24 - 30, 2020 umentary series to our audi- ence." While Grant, much like Wash- ington, was a famed general and politician, the new miniseries reveals that many of his contri- butions to American history have been underappreciated. He attended the United States Mili- tary Academy at West Point as a young man, where he estab- lished himself as a proficient horseman. He soon rose through the military ranks and ended up saving the nation on more than one occasion. He served his country during the Civil War and also during Reconstruction as he tried to reconcile the North and the South. He judi- ciously defended the voting rights of millions of formerly en- slaved people. Yet, according to an official news release for the miniseries, his story has been "tarnished by a fog of myth, ru- mor and falsehood." In addition to Salinger's por- trayal of the president during the show's dramatic segments, "Grant" also includes perfor- mances by newcomer Dianne Simpson as his wife, first lady Ju- lia Grant, and Carel Nel ("Hum," 2016) as the nation's 16th presi- dent, Abraham Lincoln. The miniseries is much more than a standard biopic. A vari- ety of experts add credence to the program's claims with in- sight into the man behind the myth. A renowned journalist, historian and biographer, Cher- now has written many award- winning books on historical fig- ures, including one about Grant. The New York Times named Chernow's acclaimed "Grant" one of the 10 Best Books of 2017. The author is in- terviewed throughout History's new miniseries, along with oth- er experts, such as one-time CIA director and retired United States Army general David Pe- traeus. The program also fea- tures interviews with journalist and award-winning author Ta- Nehisi Coates, as well as West Point English professor Eliza- beth Samet. In the show's trailer, Grant is called a plethora of contradicto- ry things: "the first modern American warrior," "a bloody butcher," "a corrupt president," "a belligerent drunk," "the great- est general of his time" and even "the unheroic hero of our great- est national epic." That's a lot of ground to cover, but luckily there are plenty of heavy hitters behind the scenes with experi- ence telling such legendary sto- ries. Most television viewers prob- ably recognize DiCaprio, the producer of the miniseries, from his big-screen film roles in such movies as "What's Eating Gil- bert Grape" (1993), "Titanic" (1997), "Catch Me If You Can" (2002) and "Inception" (2010). More recently, he hit the screen alongside Brad Pitt in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" (2019), for which DiCaprio snagged another Os- car nomination. In recent years, he's been proving himself a formidable force as a producer, too. He ap- pears to have a particular affin- ity for historical tales, many of which he produces through his film production company Ap- pian Way Productions, where fellow "Grant" executive pro- ducer Davisson serves as presi- dent of production. Founded in 2004, the company has ex- plored history in several of its films, beginning with "The As- sassination of Richard Nixon" in 2004. DiCaprio starred as Howard Hughes in Appian's bi- opic "The Aviator" that same year. Other Appian Way works inspired by historical events include "Public Enemies" (2009), "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013), "Richard Jewell" (2019) and "The Revenant" (2015) — the latter won Di- Caprio his first Academy Award. With such talent onscreen and behind the scenes, History Channel's latest miniseries is poised to offer TV viewers a balanced exploration of the 18th president's life. Don't miss the premiere of "Grant," airing on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25. Justin Salinger as seen in "Grant" continued from page T2 War hero to White House: History Channel presents the story of President Ulysses S. Grant TV FEATURE