In Lady in the Lake, Moses Ingram plays a dead woman walking. The Emmy-nominated actor is Eunetta “Cleo” Johnson, the eponymous lady in the lake, whose omnipresent voiceover haunts the Apple TV+ noir-thriller’s murder investigation.
Set in Baltimore in 1966 and based on Laura Lippman’s best-selling mystery novel (loosely inspired by two real-life murders), Lady in the Lake sees Ingram portray a determined mother entangled in the city’s Black political movements who faces an untimely demise. It’s a knotty role for the actor, who shoulders Cleo’s brewing determination and desperation with pragmatic strength. Ingram stars opposite Natalie Portman, who plays Maddie Schwartz, a Jewish housewife whose life is forever altered when Cleo’s death becomes an obsession. The feverish seven-episode drama taps into today’s fixation on true crime, as a twisty tale with deadly potential plays out.
Under the careful direction of Alma Har’el, Ingram embarks on what she cites as a “blessing of a role.” When the 30-year-old actor joins this interview via Zoom, her mini labradoodle is perched on her lap, and she’s just rushed home from a gym session. “My initial goal was regional theater, because that’s what I was seeing most people around me do,” Ingram says of her career beginnings. “The idea of being on screen was amazing, but how would you do that? When I got to Yale, that prospect became much more real.” Weeks after Master’s classes ended, Ingram landed a role in The Queen’s Gambit, which launched her into the spotlight. Her next project, Obi-Wan Kenobi sent her to bona fide stardom—but came with a wave of racist hate from so-called Star Wars fans.
Below, Ingram reflects on her career, her time on Lady in the Lake, performing opposite Natalie Portman, and how she blocks out haters.
On paper, Cleo is quite a different character compared to your other roles. What drew you to her?
It was fast. I was supposed to be going to work on something else that was really great, and my agent e-mailed me: “You have to read this right now!” Usually, I have trouble reading—I can read 10 pages and still be like, “Lord, where did my mind go while I read those 10?” The experience of reading [Lady in the Lake’s] first episode was nothing like that. I couldn’t put it down. I’m from Baltimore, so I could immediately picture in my head that she is on Pennsylvania Avenue. I know where that is. I know the rhythm of these places, and women a lot like Cleo are in my life.
Moses Ingram in a still from Lady in the Lake.
Cleo is a determined mother and a dreamer. Did you draw on inspiration from your life when developing her character?
Most of what went on with Lady in the Lake character-wise was just instinct. The clip of Cleo walking down the street with her kids, holding one and walking the other, that was my mom with us, walking down those same streets. Because of the time crunch, there wasn’t time to think about development per se, but I think there is something to working under pressure. Cleo was also working under pressure and trying to make it happen.
How was working with the legendary Natalie Portman?
She’s a veteran, and [it’s amazing] getting to watch her not only in the acting aspect, but also in her production bag, making things happen and making sure things go a certain way on set. It’s so strange, I’ve been in this position many times now, where I’m in the room with someone who I feel has reached that status. And every time, it doesn’t get less exciting to watch someone who you think is amazing figure something out. There’s universality in that too; where I am, you once were.
Mikey Madison and Natalie Portman in a still from Lady in the Lake.
Ewan McGregor recently said he wants to do a second season of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Would you be interested in returning to the show?
I think that’s something for years and years and years down the line. I don’t think it’s the thing for me right now. It’s one of those things...You wanna say what you wanna say, but you can’t say what you wanna say…
Do you think being part of Star Wars gave you visibility?
Not in a way that I wanted at all. [I] want to be known for me, for how good my work is, and all the things that I’ve been able to do in such a short time. It’s been a crazy journey in the last five years, working with really amazing people. I feel like f—king Thanos! I collected these stones: Denzel Washington, Natalie Portman, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton. [When] somebody’s talking about anything that I’m doing, it’s about all the bulls—t that a bunch of people I don’t know are saying about me. I’ve always cared more about the work.
Your next project, The End, sounds like another boundary-pushing production. What was shooting a post-apocalyptic musical like?
That’s another project I can’t wait [for]. It’s definitely one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever done in terms of the requirements and singing. It’s also made me think a lot about art imitating life, and the kind of person I wanna be, what I care about, what is important to me. In terms of the actual experience, we spent a lot of time filming in the dark—literally in the dark, with no cell phone service. It was really hard!
Is that a challenge you crave in your roles?
I’ve been blessed to try a lot of different things. That’s always the goal: try to go as far as you can, as much as you can. But also, I’m looking forward to hopefully, maybe, doing something a little lighter in tone.
On Lady in the Lake, I showed up to work scared every day—and not because I didn’t believe that I could do it. There’s something different on the line when someone else is trusting you to be able to do it. It’s hard to explain. There was a time in my life when no one believed [acting success] was possible, so I was forced to believe so hard for [myself]. And then when people start agreeing with you, you go: “Wait! Is everybody OK?” It’s a strange phenomenon, but that’s the lesson I got from Lady in the Lake. The work got done, and it’s great work that I feel good about. I just had to see what it would come out to be.
Lady in the Lake is streaming on Apple TV+ from July 19.
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