NATALIE PORTMAN PLAYS A '60S HOUSEWIFE INVESTIGATING A MURDER IN HER FIRST TV ROLE
Everything to know about 'Lady in the Lake.'
In 1969 Baltimore, a girl and a woman were murdered. When 11-year-old Esther Lebowitz was found in the basement of a pet store, authorities quickly identified and convicted her killer. That same year, the body of Shirley Lee Widgeon Parker, a Black bartender and Urban League secretary who had gone missing, was found in a fountain. Though The Baltimore Afro-American, a Black newspaper, covered her death extensively, it was largely ignored by the broader community and remains a mystery today, according to The Baltimore Sun.
These two deaths, and the stark differences in how they were treated, served as the inspiration for the 2019 novel Lady in the Lake, by Laura Lippman, who learned of them while working at The Baltimore Sun, she said in an interview with the same paper. Set in the '60s in Baltimore, it follows a journalist investigating the deaths of a woman and a girl.
A new television adaptation of the book premieres on Apple TV+ on July 19, starring Natalie Portman and Moses Ingram. It marks Portman's first-ever appearance in a TV show, and a highly anticipated appearance for Ingram, who starred in The Queen's Gambit and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Here's everything to know about the series.
'Lady in the Lake' Plot
Lady in the Lake follows Maddie Schwartz, a dissatisfied housewife shaken by a series of recent murders in her community. She leaves her husband and begins work as an investigative journalist, researching the deaths of Tessie Fine, an 11-year-old Jewish girl, and Cleo Sherwood, a Black mother and activist.
The source material, a 2019 novel of the same name by Laura Lippman, offers clues as to how the series will play out. Schwartz is determined to discover the truth about Sherwood's death, though nobody else in the community seems to share her interest. Schwartz is driven by secrets from her past and similarities between her life and Sherwood's. But as she gets closer to the truth, the people around her begin to pay the price. The book alternates narrators between Schwartz and Sherwood's ghost and explores themes of racism and misogyny (and how they interact) in 1960s America. Portman told Deadline that the series explores the question of "what happens when oppressed people oppress others.”
'Lady in the Lake' Cast
Natalie Portman and Moses Ingram lead the cast. Portman, best known for her work in Black Swan and Jackie, plays Maddie Schwartz, a housewife turned journalist investigating the show's central murders. Portman is also an executive producer. Cleo Sherwood, one of the victims, and a central narrator of the book, is played by Ingram, who is best known for her role in The Queen's Gambit.
Alma Har’el, best known for directing the film Honey Boy, is the creator, director, executive producer, and writer.
Supporting actors include:
- Josiah Cross, known for King Richard, plays Reggie Robinson. Cross described his character as "the guy who moves the chess pieces around."
- Y'Ian Noel, best known for his role in Insecure, plays Ferdie Plat, a police officer.
- Byron Bowers, a comedian and actor best known for the film Honey Boy, plays Slappy Johnson,
- Mikey Maddison, known for Better Things and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, plays jeweler Judith Weinstein.
- Bianca Belle, best known for her role in Sweet Magnolias, plays Tessie Fine, an 11-year-old girl who is murdered.
- Brett Gelman, known for Stranger Things, plays Milton Schwartz, Maddie's husband.
Release Date and Where to Stream
Lady in the Lake premiers on July 19, 2024, on Apple TV+. The series includes seven episodes. The first two episodes will be released on July 19, and the following will be released each Friday through August 23.
Watch the Trailer
Apple TV+ released a trailer in June 2024. It shows Schwartz leaving her husband and arriving in Baltimore, searching Sherwood's community for answers while Sherwood narrates.
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2024-07-19T10:06:30Z