Natalie Portman has revealed how being sexualized as a child actor pushed her to deliberately construct a “good girl” persona that became a lifelong shield.
The Oscar winner, 43, told Harper’s Bazaar that early roles depicting her as a “Lolita” figure left her feeling frightened and compelled to emphasize her studious, reserved side as protection. She began her career in dark-themed films including the 1994 thriller “Léon: The Professional,” “Heat” and “Beautiful Girls,” navigating Hollywood pressures alongside her parents.
“I think there was a conscious effort, because I was depicted as this sexualized 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,’ emphasizing that as almost a safety mechanism,” she told the magazine.
That carefully crafted image extended to her public appearances. Portman chose conservative, age-appropriate clothing for red carpets while prioritizing her education and academic achievements, working to separate her on-screen presence from her real identity.
Yet the persona hardened into something she could not easily escape. “But then, over time, it became like everyone thinks I’m really serious,” Portman noted. “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.'”
The “Black Swan” role that cemented her serious reputation also earned her an Academy Award, with a subsequent nomination coming for “Jackie.” Throughout her career, she gravitated toward complex, emotionally demanding characters in films with dark undercurrents.
Now her priorities have shifted toward lightness. “Right now, it’s a lot of joy,” she told Harper’s Bazaar of her current professional phase. “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.”
That joy has taken root in her personal life as well. Portman recently welcomed her third child with partner Tanguy Destable, joining son Aleph and daughter Amalia from her marriage to choreographer Benjamin Millepied. The couple split in 2024 after 11 years together.
A few weeks after the birth, Portman described being “full of wonder and joy at this magical little human.” The experience has also sharpened her appreciation for her older children, she explained: “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.”
