First Look: Uma Thurman Channels Marilyn Monroe on ‘Smash’

Move over, Lindsay Lohan! Step aside Michelle Williams! Our first look at Uma Thurman as Marilyn Monroe on NBC's "Smash" makes us wonder if the movie-turned-TV star wasn't born to play the iconic blonde bombshell.

To be clear, Thurman is playing movie star, Rebecca Duvall, brought in to save Julia and Derek's production of "Bombshell," a musical based on Monroe's life. After making a striking entrance in this week's episode, we'll see Duvall step into the role of Monroe in "Smash's" next installment.

And according to Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, the show's executive producers, composers and respected Broadway vets in their own right, making the move from the big to the small screen was a bit of a challenge for Thurman. The duo worked closely with the star on her performance of "Dig Deep," a tribute to Monroe's "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" and a song they wrote specifically with Thurman in mind. "She came back and sang it with the knowledge that she really could,"Shaiman told The Hollywood Reporter.

And of course, viewers can also look forward to a performance of "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" in next week's episode, titled "The Movie Star."

Till then, check out these pics of Thurman as Duvall as Monroe (via THR) and decide who makes the better Marilyn: Uma or Lindsay?