Natalie Portman has spoken about growing up in the film industry, revealing she felt “sexualised” as a child actor in a way that “scared” her.
The Oscar-winning star began her career aged just 12, when she starred in the thriller Leon: The Professional alongside Jean Reno and Gary Oldman. In her late teens, she was propelled to megastardom playing Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. She transitioned to adult roles including Black Swan, V For Vendetta, and playing Jane Foster in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Speaking to younger actor Jenna Ortega for Interview magazine, she reflected on her beginnings in Hollywood and how it forced her to hide her true self.
“I think there’s a public understanding of me that’s different from who I am. I’ve talked about it a little before—about how, as a kid, I was really sexualized, which I think happens to a lot of young girls who are onscreen. I felt very scared by it” she said. “Obviously sexuality is a huge part of being a kid, but I wanted it to be inside of me, not directed towards me”.
In the early 2000s, she attended Harvard University, reducing her film work around that time. She explains that part of that pursuit was to protect her privacy.
“I felt like my way of protecting myself was to be like, ‘I’m so serious. I’m so studious. I’m smart, and that’s not the kind of girl you attack’. I was like, if I create this image of myself, I’ll be left alone. It shouldn’t be a thing, but it worked. But I think that’s the disconnect between me being stupid and silly in real life, and people thinking that I’m some really serious bookish person”.
She added: “I’m not a particularly private person in real life—I’ll tell you anything—but in public, it was so clear early on that if you tell people how private you are, your privacy gets respected a lot more”.
Recently, Natalie Portman reunited with Zach Braff as part of an anniversary concert for their 2004 film Garden State.