Washington DC [US], October 27 (ANI): Actor Natalie Portman has opened up about the lasting impact of being sexualised as a child star in Hollywood, revealing that she consciously cultivated a “good girl” image as a way to protect herself from unwanted attention, according to Page Six.
In an interview, the Oscar-winning actor said she made a deliberate effort to establish an identity that contrasted with the sexualised image associated with some of her early roles.
Portman began her film career with projects featuring dark themes, including the 1994 thriller ‘Léon: The Professional’, ‘Heat’ and ‘Beautiful Girls’. As she navigated the pressures of the industry at a young age, she and her parents worked to separate her on-screen persona from her real-life identity.
“I think there was a conscious effort, because I was depicted as this sexualised Lolita, that I wanted to be like, ‘No, I’m serious, I’m a good girl, I’m a prude, I’m smart, I’m a student,’ emphasising that as almost a safety mechanism,” she told the publication, as per the outlet.
Portman maintained a reserved public image, opting for conservative, age-appropriate clothing at red-carpet appearances while prioritising her education and academic pursuits.
As her career progressed, she took on complex and emotionally demanding roles, eventually winning an Academy Award for her performance in ‘Black Swan’ and earning another nomination for ‘Jackie’.
However, Portman said the serious image she had cultivated, along with her intense performances, led people to develop a misconception about her personality.
“But then, over time, it became like everyone thinks I’m really serious,” she said. “I’m very silly, and I love to laugh more than anything, and I love to goof off. People always think I’m a perfectionist, I think, because of ‘Black Swan'. I’m the opposite. I’m forgiving with myself. In college, we had a phrase: ‘Done, not good.’”
Reflecting on the current phase of her career, Portman said she wants to bring more joy to audiences, particularly at a time when people are surrounded by difficult and heavy news.
“Right now, it’s a lot of joy,” she told the outlet. “I think it’s both for myself and what I hope to offer an audience, because it just feels … I mean, every time has dark moments, but it feels like there’s a lot of really heavy stuff going on. It’s just ever-present in our face, and so it does feel like the biggest service you can do right now as an artist is to deliver some joy,” according to Page Six.
Portman has also been experiencing a new chapter in her personal life after welcoming her third child with her partner, Tanguy Destable.
A few weeks after the birth, she shared that she had been “full of wonder and joy at this magical little human", as quoted by the outlet.
The actor shares two children, Aleph and Amalia, with her former husband, Benjamin Millepied. The couple separated in 2024 after 11 years of marriage.
Portman said welcoming a newborn has also made her reflect on how quickly children grow and how much their personalities develop over time.
“It gives me a whole new attention to my big kids too, as I am reminded of how recently they were these little fresh creations and how quickly they’ve blossomed into incredible humans with their own amazing personalities and senses of humor and ideas,” she said, according to Page Six. (ANI)
“I think there was a conscious effort”: Natalie Portman says “good girl” image became a shield against sexualisation as child star
