Natalie Portman was unwillingly sexualized as a child star
Natalie Portman is one of Hollywood's most talented actresses with several notable films like Black Swan, The Darjeeling Limited and V For Vendetta under her name. She has been a star since childhood and is familiar with the perks and pitfalls of being a child star. Recently when speaking about Vox Lux, she spoke about how it felt to be sexualized. Here's what she said.
Portman drew on personal experiences for upcoming role
In her film Vox Lux, Portman plays a troubled pop star who is a survivor of some terrible event in her childhood. For the role, she drew on personal experiences. She spoke of how she related to stars being packaged into different brands, from an early age and being objectified. This was the part of her childhood stardom she brought to the role.
Same experiences in different way for Portman and her character
Portman said, "You see... how a young girl is packaged into this brand, and it's kind of separate from her. I experienced a different degree of it, in a different way...but you see what the culture wants from you... and wants to put out there".
Being sexualized became part of public identity for Portman
Portman, who had first appeared in a feature film opposite Jean Reno, titled Leon the Professional at the age of 13, said she had come to terms with being sexualized. The actress said that the way people photographed and portrayed her sexualized her, which was not her doing, but she made peace with the fact that it was part of her public identity.
Message of self respect in the face of objectification
When Portman realized that being sexualized was beyond her control, she stopped expressing herself sexually. She was of the opinion that this expression would give others further entitlement to objectify and discuss her body. To avoid this discomfort, she covered her body and inhibited her work. This was her way to send the message to the world that she was worth safety and respect.
