Fresh out of Yale Drama School, the actress plays the tough yet warm Jolene who quickly befriends Beth during their time as kids in the coming-of-age drama. Her tough love is what helps Beth navigate life in the orphanage before she’s eventually adopted.
“I just love how she’s just so tight with Beth that she’s able to say whatever needs to be said,” Ingram tells ET. “It just is what it is. And sometimes it might not sound pretty, but when you love someone and something needs to be said, you need someone who loves you enough to give it to you real.”
As the story moves forward in time and an addiction-addled young adult Beth is on the brink of collapse, Jolene returns. Her newfound presence is the dose of reality Beth needs to remind her what she cares about most: chess. “Jolene is the grounding force in Beth’s life. And as they get older, she is the only person at that point who knows her from when she was prepubescent and that carries over,” Ingram says. Later, as Beth scrambles to figure out how to travel to Russia for the most important tournament of her career, Jolene offers her the money she needs to cover expenses.