Natalie Portman says method acting is a ‘luxury women can't afford', doubts family's ‘understanding’ about it
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Natalie Portman, the Oscar-winning star of 'Black Swan', has never tried method acting in her career.
She believes that the technique, which involves staying in character even off-screen, is not feasible for women who have children or partners.
Natalie Portman doubts children and partners will be understanding for her to remain in the character
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, she said, “I’ve gotten very into roles, but I think it’s honestly a luxury that women can’t afford. I don’t think that children or partners would be very understanding of, you know, me making everyone call me ‘Jackie Kennedy’ all the time.”
Portman, who played the former US first lady in the 2016 biopic 'Jackie', has two children with her husband Benjamin Millepied, a French dancer and choreographer. However, there are rumors that the couple has split up, according to Daily Mail.
Natalie Portman plays a manipulative actor in her new film 'May December'
In her upcoming film 'May December', Portman portrays Elizabeth, an actor who is obsessed with fame and acclaim.
She is preparing to play Gracie, a woman who had an affair with a 13-year-old boy when she was 36. Gracie is based on a real person and is played by Julianne Moore in the film.
To get into the role, Elizabeth goes to extreme and unethical lengths to understand Gracie’s psychology and motivations.
Method acting is often associated with male actors
Method acting is a controversial and demanding technique that was developed by Russian theatre director Konstantin Stanislavsky and later refined by American teachers.
It requires actors to immerse themselves in their characters’ emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, sometimes to the point of harming themselves or others.
Some of the most famous method actors are Daniel Day-Lewis, Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jared Leto, and Jeremy Strong.
They have all done remarkable and risky things to portray their roles, such as losing or gaining weight, learning new languages, eating raw meat, sending disturbing gifts, and pulling out teeth.
Portman shed twenty pounds when she played prima ballerina in 'Black Swan.' For 'Thor: Love and Thunder'' she spends 10 months bulking up to swing a magic hammer yer she says she can't afford this luxury.
Natalie Portman reflects on the different layers of performances in her career
Portman, who started acting as a child, has played a variety of roles in her career, from a ballet dancer to a sci-fi heroine.
She has always done extensive research and preparation for her roles, but she has never lost herself in them.
She told the Wall Street Journal that she is aware of the different levels of performance that she has to adopt as an actor, both on and off the screen.
She said, "There is just a consciousness of all the layers of performance that range from when you actually are playing a role [to] the kind of performance that Elizabeth might need to walk into a barbecue and seem really down-to-earth and friendly and make people comfortable."
