Natalie Portman Talks Jewish Role in ‘The Lady in the Lake’

Apple

Natalie Portman’s first television role gave her a unique opportunity to explore intersectionality and oppression through the lens of a 1960s crime drama.

The Oscar winner explained her role as Jewish investigative journalist Maddie Schwartz in the upcoming miniseries The Lady of the Lakepremiering July 19 on Apple TV+, presented an “interesting” story about “what happens when oppressed people oppress other people.”

“It is possible to be both oppressed and oppressor,” Portman said. The Guardian“And sometimes when we seek our own freedom, we don’t realize that we are intruding on someone else’s life.”

Based on the 2019 novel by Laura Lippman, The Lady of the Lake follows Maddie, a Baltimore housewife turned journalist who becomes obsessed with the mystery of two separate murders: Tessie Fine (Bianca Belle), an 11-year-old Jewish girl, and Cleo Sherwood (Moses Ingram), a hard-working black activist and mother.

“At that time and in her community, that role was something she really wanted to break free from,” Portman said of Maddie’s life as a devoted Jewish housewife, noting that for both Maddie and Cleo, liberation “is something that unites their stories.”

Meanwhile, Maddie is using Cleo’s death to further her career, which poses a moral dilemma. “It’s totally debatable,” Portman said. “You could definitely say she’s a villain.”

Portman noted that as a journalist, “other people’s lives are your subject matter, and you have to wonder whether that’s inherently morally problematic. As a journalist, you’re supposed to tell a story, not think about how it might affect that person’s life if you do it.”

While the Israeli-born actress was “excited to explore” the character in her first TV series, she was hesitant to offer her thoughts on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. “How I feel about that requires a lot more space than we have to discuss, unfortunately,” Portman said.

Portman and Sophie Mas are executive producers of The Lady of the Lake thanks to their MountainA banner’s first television deal with Apple, created and directed by Alma Har’el.