Portman, 42, shared her memories of starting out in movies, and it wasn’t always easy. She talked about feeling uncomfortable and being treated in ways she didn’t like. But in the midst of all that, there was someone who reached out and made a difference – Jodie Foster, her fellow Oscar winner. She wasn’t just a famous actress; she was like a big sister who cared and understood her journey, which was not full of rainbows and sunshine.
“I did a speech at a Women’s March about being sexualized as a young actress, and she reached out to me after that, and we talked and it was amazing,” Portman said.
Natalie recalled her role in the 1996 film, Beautiful girls, where her 13 years old character was made to fall in love with a man. She did not read too much into it but gradually she realized that sexualizing young woman in movies, eventually took away their own sexuality from them.
She mentioned that she felt unsafe while doing such roles and only felt safe if she took up some conservative roles and made everyone respect her and adapt a ‘serious’ personality, only then she would not be objectified by older men.
“That kind of projection of seriousness protected me in a way. ‘Cause I feel like it was almost a warning signal like, ‘Oh, don’t do s— to her,’ ” said Portman. “Not that anyone ever, you know, deserves it or is asking for it. But I felt like that was my unconscious way of doing it.” This statement is very sad as young girls who step in Hollywood, never dream of getting objectified in such ways.
During the 2018 Women’s March speech, she shared her experience of her first role at the age of 13 years, in 1994’s Léon: The Professional, where she played a young girl who was also exploring her womanhood, voice, and desire. ‘I was so excited at 13 when the film was released, and my work, and my art would have a human response. I excitedly opened my first fan mail to read a rape fantasy that a man had written me.” – This is truly heart breaking. Instead of appreciating her work as an actor, all she received was objectification.
“I understood very quickly, even as a 13-year-old, that if I were to express myself sexually I would feel unsafe and that men would feel entitled to discuss and objectify my body to my great discomfort,” she said at the time.
It takes a remarkable person to reach out to someone in times like these. Jodie Foster, made her realize that she is not alone and she has got her back. This reminds us that sometimes the simplest acts of kindness can mean the world to someone. For Natalie, Jodie’s friendship wasn’t just about advice; it was about having someone there who believed in her and helped her stay strong when things got tough.