Beanie Feldstein Recalls Being Cast as Monica Lewinsky in Impeachment : 'Most Empowering Moment'

Beanie Feldstein is reflecting on the "empowering" moment she was hand-picked to portray Monica Lewinsky in Impeachment: American Crime Story.

The 28-year-old actress appeared on The Tonight Show Tuesday, where she opened up about receiving a call from executive producer Ryan Murphy to star in the FX series — and what it means to be a part of the highly anticipated project.

"It's been an incredibly moving experience. I was in London when Ryan Murphy called me...and he was like 'Do you want to play Monica Lewinsky in the third installment of American Crime Story and do you want to be a producer?'" she explained to host Jimmy Fallon. "And it was the most empowering moment. It was such a massive deal."

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Written by Sarah Burgess, Impeachment is primarily told from perspectives of Lewinsky, civil servant Linda Tripp and Paula Jones, whose sexual harassment lawsuit against President Bill Clinton led to the exposure of his affair with Lewinsky. Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives in December 1998 on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice for his attempts at covering up his affair with Lewinsky.

Feldstein told Fallon that she was also excited about being a part of the series because she got to work closely with Lewinsky, who was able to tell her own story as a producer.

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"It's her real life. So we felt that she should be a part of telling her story because in the '90s, she was actively silenced by the Office of Independent Counsel because of her immunity deal," Feldstein said on the show. "She was not permitted to speak for herself. She was literally silenced."

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Feldstein continued, "So people think they understand her story and the stories of Paula Jones and Linda Tripp, but they don't. And we're hoping to really peel back the curtain and show you what was really happening at that time."

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The Golden Globe nominee recently told PEOPLE (the TV show!) that she hopes people see Lewinsky in a different light and are "exposed to her humanity" after watching the show.

Feldstein stars alongside Sarah Paulson as Tripp and Clive Owen as Clinton. The Impeachment cast is rounded out by Annaleigh Ashford, Edie Falco, Margo Martindale, Billy Eichner, Colin Hanks and Cobie Smulders.

Impeachment: American Crime Story airs Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on FX.