Natalie Portman reveals she bonded with Jodie Foster over 'being sexualized as a young actress'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Natalie Portman recalled on the Monday, February 19, edition of the 'Smartless' podcast that Jodie Foster had approached her about being sexualized in Hollywood.
When asked if Portman had a particular career role model, co-host Jason Bateman brought up Jodie Foster.
Portman also talked about specific moments in her career, including her roles in the Marvel 'Thor' films and the 'Star Wars' prequels.
Natalie Portman explains how she bonded with 'role model' Jodie Foster
Following her debut in her first movie when she was 12 years old, Natalie Portman rocketed to prominence and became a sought-after actress, living up to the hype.
However, the 42-year-old star revealed on Dax Shepard’s 'Armchair Expert' podcast back in 2020 that her typecast as a 'Lolita figure' had a bad impact on her "own sexuality" and she was terrified to be herself as a child.
Speaking of Jodie Foster's bonding on the 'Smartless' podcast, the 'May December' actress said, "I talked to her much later, which was amazing."
"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. She’s still a role model," Portman added, per The Wrap.
Inquiring further into the typical experiences of women in the entertainment industry, co-host Sean Hayes asked Portman if she had learned to identify a particular personality or had seen any warning signs that someone would end up sexualizing women in Hollywood throughout her tenure in the business.
While replying with a negative, Portman stated, "I feel like it’s still surprising that it exists. But I feel like that projection of seriousness protected me in a way, because I feel like it was almost like a warning signal, like ‘Oh, don’t do s**t to her'."
Addressing 'the biggest sign', Portman noted, "I feel like the biggest sign is when people talk s**t about women. If they talk s**t about anyone, even if they’re just like, ‘Ugh, she’s really difficult', that’s like a flag for me. Like, ‘There’s more to that story'."
Natalie Portman contends children shouldn't work in Hollywood
Starring in Luc Besson's 'Leon: The Professional,' Portman began her lengthy and distinguished film career at the tender age of 12. However, the Oscar winner disagreed that young people should work in Hollywood.
The Jerusalem-born 'Garden State' actress told Dax Shepard in 2020 that she "didn’t allow the full expression of who I was at that time" when she turned 12 in 1994 while filming her debut feature picture 'Leon: The Professional'.
Portman went on to portray similarly problematic characters in movies like 'Beautiful Girls' at the age of 14, per the New York Post.
The actress, who received an Oscar for her performance as a deranged femme fatale in 'Black Swan', claimed that being sexualized as a child damaged her sense of sexuality.
"I would not encourage young people to go into this. I don’t mean ever; I mean as children," Portman stated to Variety in 2023.
"You don’t like it when you’re a kid, and you’re grateful for it when you’re an adult," she added. "I’ve heard too many bad stories to think that any children should be part of it," she said.
Given that her parents could keep an eye on her while she was on set, Portman has no regrets about beginning her own acting career in her preteen years.
The 'Thor' actress explained at the time, "I feel it was almost an accident of luck that I was not harmed, also combined with very overprotective, wonderful parents."
In the end, Portman declared, "I don’t believe that kids should work. I think kids should play and go to school."
Portman is currently the mother to two kids, Aleph, 12, and Amalia, 6, but her remarks indicate that they would not be following in her footsteps.
