By Penni Malloy-Harper, R.N.
June 10th, 2024 was a night to remember. Apple TV + hosted an exclusive screening and conversation for their new television seven-episode series, The Lady in the Lake, at the esteemed Paley Center for Media. This television series features the exceptional talent of Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman, who also produces the series, the gifted actress and Emmy nominee Moses Ingram, and the versatile creator, executive producer, director, and writer Alma Har’el.
Moses Ingram (Photo Courtesy of Paley Center for Media)
The series unfolds a unique narrative, chronicling the disappearance of a young girl in Baltimore on Thanksgiving in 1966. The lives of two women, Maddie Schwart (Natalie Portman), a Jewish housewife, and Cleo Johnson (Moses Ingram), a mother navigating the political landscape of Black Baltimore, intersect in unexpected ways. Maddie’s fascination with Cleo’s disappearance leads to a situation that threatens the lives of everyone involved.
Natalie Portman (Photo Courtesy of Paley Center for Media)
There is a musical score that will have you nodding your head and tapping your feet. The storyline is engaging and sucks you in to find out more about each character and the situation unfolding scene after scene. The setting is Baltimore in the 1960’s when civil rights unrest and musical talent were emerging in Baltimore.
This is a fictional historical view of Baltimore, an adaptation of Laura Lippman’s novel of the same name.
Director Alma Har’el (Photo Courtesy of Paley Center for Media)
During the conversation following the private screening, Natalie Portman and Director Alma Har’el sang their praises for Moses Ingram. Ingram joined the series because another actor unexpectedly backed out, giving little preparation time. It took approximately three weeks for Ms. Portman to begin shooting the series. Portman describes how she and Har’el “jumped up and down” with glee after seeing Ingram perform in one of the first recorded scenes for the TV series. It was then that Portman was convinced that with Ingram, they had a hit television show on their hands.
Alma Har’el, Moses Ingram, Natalie Portman, Brittany Jones-Cooper (seated L to R) (Photo Courtesy of Paley Center for Media)
NYWIFT Member Penni Malloy-Harper at the screening (Photo Courtesy of Paley Center for Media)
This series is set to premiere on Apple TV+ on July 19th, 2024.
Moses Ingram, Natalie Portman, Alma Har’el, Byron Bowers (standing L to R) (Photo Courtesy of Paley Center for Media)
Penni Malloy-Harper
Penni Malloy-Harper is a registered nurse, media consultant, director, and producer for Pennbrook Consulting and Pennbrook TV.
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