Eloise Mumford is set to take on a significant role in Prime Video’s upcoming crime thriller series “CROSS,” inspired by James Patterson’s bestselling novels.
The show, premiering on November 14 with all episodes available at once, features Mumford in a pivotal character whose fate becomes central to the plot.
Mumford’s acting career includes notable performances across various mediums. She gained recognition for her portrayal of Kate Kavanagh in the “Fifty Shades of Grey” film trilogy. Her television work includes playing Trudy Cooper, wife of astronaut Gordon Cooper, in the Nat Geo/Disney+ series “The Right Stuff,” based on Tom Wolfe’s book.
In film, Mumford starred alongside Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz in “Standing Up, Falling Down,” which debuted at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. Her stage experience includes understudying for Elisabeth Moss in “Speed the Plow” on Broadway while still a student at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Mumford’s television credits extend to recurring roles on NBC’s “Chicago Fire” and starring roles in FOX’s “Lone Star” and ABC’s “The River.”
SWAGGER picks Eloise’s brain about acting, “Cross”, and her early career.
How would you describe your character, and what you like about “Cross”?
I play Shannon Whitmer, an art lover. She’s an aspiring art curator, but she currently works at a hotel. So she’s got big dreams, but she isn’t there yet. And then she goes on a really bad date. That’s the start of the series, and I can’t tell you what happens beyond that, but I can’t wait for people to follow along and see see what goes down. I fell in love with her strength and her resilience and I learned a lot about art actually, through this job, which was sort of an unexpected perk. So I was trying to find a way in for her and for me, that was learning about her love of fine art. So that was a really cool unexpected side piece.
The thing I love about Cross as a show is that I love puzzles, I love mysteries. I love thrillers. And this is a brand new, explosive, propulsive, thrilling detective series. But it’s a whole new mystery. I’m eager for people to come for the mystery and to fall in love with the characters and just to enjoy the heart pumping, thrilling experience of being on a roller coaster with all of the ups and downs and the screams.
What inspired you to pursue acting as a career?
I saw a production of South Pacific. When I was seven years old, my next door neighbor took me on a night out, and we saw this musical, and I fell in love with it. I was a really shy kid, but I fell in love with musicals and with performing. There’s something about musicals in particular that I just really fell in love with, the music combined with the acting. I didn’t have a television growing up, but I just I knew it’s what I wanted to do. I had no idea how hard it would be until I went to NYU for college, studied acting there, and got a healthy dose of how challenging this industry actually is. The bug bit me early, and I think what I love about it is getting to step into other people’s lives, the idea of getting to experience other people’s experiences as much as humanly possible. Really appeals to me, and bringing humanity to screen. I don’t know that the musical holds up, but it did really inspire me back in the day.
How did your education at NYU Tisch School of the Arts shape the way that you pursue your career?
It was wonderful to be in New York City. I went to see, like, 10,000 plays while I was in school. I did not at all have like a normal college experience. I had taken a gap year, so by the time I came just to college, I was really driven and determined. It was not about partying. I came out really determined to make a career of this, and understanding the sort of sacrifices that that was going to take.
How do you typically prepare for a new role or character?
I try to do all the research that I can possibly do, and I try to find a way in to the character through something that would would light them up.
Are there any specific types of roles or genres you’d like to explore more in the future?
I specifically would love to do period pieces. I like getting dressed up in all of the sort of period costumes and exploring that sort of genre.
Two good reasons why people should tune in to “Cross”?
If you’ve been looking for your next propulsive thriller that you can’t get enough of, that you have to just binge all the way through, this is it. That’s reason number one. And reason number two is that you will see it’s about a mystery, but it’s also about family, both born and chosen family. And you will feel like you are part of this Cross family, and it’s a really cool family to be a part of.
Credits:
Photographer: Kelly Balch
Hair/Makeup: Kimberly Bragalone
Styling: Haley Roeman