Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman is set to make her first leading role in a TV series in the new Apple TV+ miniseries Lady in the Lake.
Portman, who also serves as executive producer, stars as Maddie Schwartz, a housewife, mother and aspiring reporter who becomes fixated on the mysterious and tragic disappearance of a young woman.
Set in 1960s Baltimore, the highly anticipated drama-thriller is based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Laura Lippman and features performances from Y’lan Noel, Moses Ingram, Brett Gelman, Mikey Madison and Byron Bowers.
Speaking about the role to The Guardian, Portman said the story “is very much a topic that’s interesting to me, namely what happens when oppressed people oppress others. It’s possible to be both oppressed and oppressor. And that sometimes when we’re looking for our own freedom, we don’t realise we’re stepping on someone else’s life.”
Who is in the Lady in the Lake cast?
Natalie Portman plays Maddie Schwartz
Portman had an explosive start to her career at the tender age of 12, when she starred alongside Jean Reno and Gary Oldman as the young protégé of a hitman in the film Léon.
Her other film performances include Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace, Black Swan, Closer, V for Vendetta and May December.
In addition to her acting work, Portman also graduated from Harvard with a degree in psychology in 2003.
Moses Ingram plays Cleo Sherwood
Ingram plays a mother navigating the political landscape of black Baltimore while struggling to provide for her family in Lady in the Lake.
Ingram is a Baltimore-born and raised actress who is best known for her role as Jolene in the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
She is also known for her role as Reva Sevander/the third sister in the Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Portman called Ingram “the most extraordinary actress of her generation. She’s so incredible”.
Y’lan Noel plays Ferdie
Ferdie is a local police officer who has a connection with both Maddie and Cleo.
Noel played the role of Daniel King in the hit HBO series Insecure and had a lead role in the 2018 horror film The First Purge.
You might also recognise his voice from the video game franchise Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
He described working with Portman as “a dream come true”.
He said: “She is a legend in this game, so as someone who is always looking to take his ability and awareness as an actor to another level, I felt like I struck gold being able to work so closely with her.
“Here I am one-on-one with one of the greats figuring out how to make scene after scene sing off the page. Dream come true, I tell ya.”
Byron Bowers plays Slappy Johnson
Slappy Johnson is a member of Cleo’s family with actor Byron Bowers taking on the role.
The actor and comedian has starred in Lena Waithe’s Showtime drama The Chi, Swarm, Irma Vep, Carrier and The Eric Andre Show.
He has also recently been cast in Marvel Studios’ upcoming Wonder Man series.
Josiah Cross plays Reggie Robinson
Josiah Cross made his screen debut acting opposite Will Smith in the Williams’ sisters biopic King Richard and has also appeared in Masters of the Air and A Thousand and One.
Talking about his career, Cross said: “For me, it’s all about elevation and quality. As long as every project is elevating and challenging my skill set, and challenging my craft, and becoming more universally irreproachable, that’s my goal.”
Brett Gelman plays Milton Schwartz
Milton is Madison’s husband who she decides to leave after 18 years of marriage.
Gelman is best known for his role as Murray Bauman in Netflix’s horror-supernatural series Stranger Things and as Martin in the BBC comedy Fleabag.
Other cast members include:
- Mikey Madison (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, All Souls, Better Things) plays Judith Weinstein
- Pruitt Taylor Vince (Angel Heart, Identity, The Blacklist) plays Bob Bauer
- Noah Jupe (The Night Manager, A Quiet Place, Honey Boy, The Undoing) plays Seth Schwartz
- Dylan Arnold (After, Halloween, You, Oppenheimer) plays Stephan Zawadzkie
- Veralyn Jones (Seinfeld, ER, A Housekeeper’s Revenge) plays Merva
Where was Lady in the Lake filmed?
Lady in the Lake is set and filmed in Baltimore, a major coastal city in Maryland on the east coast of the US.
Speaking about shooting in her home city, Ingram told The Baltimore Banner: “There are a lot of great things and great people who work really hard to make this city as beautiful as it is, this upstart city that is growing more and more each year.”
Portman said the cast and crew were “so lucky to have the people of Baltimore privy to the project”, which created 1,132 jobs in Maryland during production.
“There was so much warmth and energy and talent that we were able to experience,” she added.
Despite being born in Jerusalem, Portman also has a personal connection to Baltimore.
When her family left Eastern Europe in the 1800s, they immigrated to the city.
Researching her family tree gave her new insights into her family’s history in Baltimore.
“It was wild to explore that part of my family’s history, which I didn’t really know about until I looked into it,” she said.
“Walking into the Jewish deli that had been open for 100 years and thinking my great-grandma was in there buying her meat was really moving.”
Key filming locations included the suburb of Pikesville and the picturesque Loch Raven Reservoir.
Other notable locations featured include Patterson Park, Library, and Redwood Street.
How many episodes are there?
The first two episodes of Lady in the Lake will be released on Friday 19 July exclusively on Apple TV+.
There are seven episodes in total, with new episodes being released each Friday until 23 August.
A monthly subscription to Apple TV is £8.99 after a free seven-day trial.
No information about the length or title of each episode has been released at time of press.