When Portman was ten years old, aRevlon agent spotted her at apizza restaurant and asked her to become a child model.[24] She turned down the offer but used the opportunity to get an acting agent.[8][14] She auditioned for the 1992off-BroadwayRuthless!, a musical about a girl who is prepared to commit murder to get the lead in a school play.[25] Portman andBritney Spears were chosen asunderstudies for starLaura Bell Bundy.[26]
Career
1994–1998: Early work
Six months afterRuthless! ended, she auditioned for and secured a leading role inLuc Besson's action dramaLéon: The Professional (1994).[14] She adopted her paternal grandmother's maiden name, Portman, as her stage name.[22][27][28] She played Mathilda, an orphan child who befriends a middle-aged hitman (played byJean Reno). Her parents were reluctant to let her do the part due to the explicit sexual and violent nature of the script, but agreed after Besson took out the Mathilda character's nudity and killings that she committed.[29] Portman herself said that after those scenes were removed, she found nothing objectionable about the content.[30] Even so, her mother was displeased with some of the "sexual twists and turns" in the finished film, which were not part of the script.[24]Hal Hinson ofThe Washington Post commended Portman for bringing a "genuine sense of tragedy" to her part, but Peter Rainer of theLos Angeles Times believed that she wasn't "enough of an actress to unfold Mathilda's pain" and criticized Besson's sexualization of her character.[31][32]
"[T]here's a surprising preponderance of that kind of role for young girls. Sort of being fantasy objects for men, and especially this idealised purity combined with the fertility of youth, and all this in one. ... It was definitely interesting to think about – why men write the female characters they do. Just like the way they write the male character. How much is wish-fulfilment fantasy, and why."
—Portman on playing sexualized youngsters as a child, 2007[33]
After filmingThe Professional, Portman went back to school and during the summer break of 1994, she filmed a part inMarya Cohn's short filmDeveloping. In it she played a young girl coping with her mother's (played byFrances Conroy) cancer.[34] She also enrolled at theStagedoor Manor performing arts camp, where she playedAnne Shirley in a staging ofAnne of Green Gables.[35]Michael Mann offered her the small part of the suicidal stepdaughter ofAl Pacino's character in the action filmHeat (1995) for her ability to portray dysfunction without hysteria.[36][37] Impressed by her performance inThe Professional, the directorTed Demme cast her as a precocious teenager who flirts with her much-older neighbor (played byTimothy Hutton) in the ensemble comedy-dramaBeautiful Girls (1996).[30]Janet Maslin ofThe New York Times wrote, "Portman, a budding knockout, is scene-stealingly good even in an overly showy role."[38] She subsequently went back to Stagedoor Manor to appear in a production of the musicalCabaret.[39] Also in 1996, Portman had brief roles inWoody Allen's musicalEveryone Says I Love You andTim Burton's comic science fiction filmMars Attacks![40]
Portman was cast oppositeLeonardo DiCaprio inBaz Luhrmann'sRomeo + Juliet (1996), but she dropped out during rehearsals when studio executives found her too young for the role.[24] Luhrmann said "Natalie was amazing in the footage, but it was too much of a burden for her at that age".[41] She was also offeredAdrian Lyne'sLolita, based on thenovel of the same name, but she turned down the part due to its excessive sexual content.[24][30] She later bemoaned that her parts inThe Professional andBeautiful Girls prompted a series of offers to play a sexualized youngster, adding that it "dictated a lot of my choices afterwards 'cos it scared me ... it made me reluctant to do sexy stuff".[33]
Portman instead signed on to star asAnne Frank in aBroadway revival ofThe Diary of Anne Frank, which was staged at theMusic Box Theatre from December 1997 to May 1998. In preparation, she twice visited theAnne Frank House in Amsterdam and interacted withMiep Gies, who had preserved Anne's diary after the family was captured; she found a connection with Frank's story, given her own family's history with the Holocaust.[42][43] Reviewing the production forVariety, Greg Evans disliked her portrayal, which he thought had "little of the charm, budding genius or even brittle intelligence that the diary itself reveals".[44] Conversely,Ben Brantley found an "ineffable grace in her awkwardness".[45] The experience of performing the play was emotionally draining for her, as she attended high school during the day and performed at night; she wrote personal essays inTime andSeventeen magazines about her experience.[46]
1999–2006:Star Wars, education, and transition to mature roles
Portman began filming the part ofPadmé Amidala in theStar Wars prequel trilogy in 1997, which marked her first big-budget production. The first film of the series,Episode I – The Phantom Menace was released in 1999, when she was in her senior year of high school.[47] Portman was unfamiliar with the franchise when she was cast, and watched theoriginalStar Wars trilogy before filming began.[48] She worked closely with the directorGeorge Lucas on her character's accent and mannerisms, and watched the films ofLauren Bacall,Audrey Hepburn, andKatharine Hepburn to draw inspiration from their voice and stature.[49] Filming in arduous locations in Algeria proved challenging for Portman.[50][14] She did not attend the film's premiere so she could study for her high school finals.[51] The critical response to the film was mixed, but with earnings of $924 million worldwide it was thesecond highest-grossing film of all time to that point, and it established Portman as a global star.[52][53]
Portman graduated fromSyosset High School in 1999.[54][55][56] Her high school paper, "A Simple Method to Demonstrate the Enzymatic Production of Hydrogen from Sugar", co-authored with scientists Ian Hurley and Jonathan Woodward, was entered in theIntel Science Talent Search.[57] Following production onThe Phantom Menace, Portman initially turned down a lead role in the coming-of-age filmAnywhere but Here (1999) after learning it would involve a sex scene, but the directorWayne Wang and actressSusan Sarandon (who played Portman's mother in the film) demanded a rewrite of the script. She was shown a new draft, and decided to accept the part.[58][59]Mary Elizabeth Williams ofSalon called Portman's performance "astonishing" and added that "unlike any number of actresses her age, she's neither too maudlin nor too plucky".[60] She received aGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination for it.[61]
Portman's sole screen appearance in 2000 was inWhere the Heart Is, a romantic drama filmed in Texas, in which she played a pregnant teenager.[62] After finishing work on the film, she began attendingHarvard University to pursue her bachelor's degree in psychology, and significantly reduced her acting roles over the next few years.[58] At Harvard she served asAlan Dershowitz'sresearch assistant for his bookThe Case for Israel.[63] Both spoke highly of each other and described themselves as close friends, with Dershowitz calling her a "terrific student."[64][65] She then studied advancedHebrew literature andneurobiology,[66] In the summer of 2001, she returned to Broadway (at theDelacorte Theater) to performChekhov's dramaThe Seagull, which was directed byMike Nichols and co-starredMeryl Streep andPhilip Seymour Hoffman.[67] Linda Winer ofNewsday wrote that the "major surprises come from Portman, whose Nina transforms with astonishing lyricism from the girl with ambition to Chekhov's most difficult symbol of destruction".[68] Also in 2001, Portman was among several celebrities who made cameo appearances in the comedyZoolander.[69] The following year she reprised her role of Amidala inStar Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, which she had filmed in Sydney and London during her summer break of 2000.[70] She was excited by the opportunity to play a confident young woman who did not depend on the male lead.[71] When asked about balancing her career and education, she said, "I don't care if [college] ruins my career. I'd rather be smart than a movie star."[72][73] In 2002, she contributed to a study on memory called "Frontal lobe activation duringobject permanence: data from near-infrared spectroscopy".[74][75] Portman graduated from Harvard in 2003 and her sole screen appearance that year was in the brief part of a young mother in the war filmCold Mountain.[58][76][77] She described this period as the "most difficult time" in her life, noting that she wasn't getting work and felt criticized for her performances inStar Wars. After taking time off, she begged for theCold Mountain role, whichMike Nichols helped secure, offering her a letter of support that helped her regain confidence.[78]
Portman began 2004 by featuring in the romantic comedyGarden State, which was written and directed by its starZach Braff. She was the first actor to sign on to the film after finding a connection with her part: a spirited young girl suffering from epilepsy.[21][79] Her role in it was described by Nathan Rabin ofThe A.V. Club. as a prime example of theManic Pixie Dream Girl character type – a stereotypical female role designed to spiritually help a male protagonist.[80] Portman later said she found it upsetting to have contributed to the trope.[81] She followed it by playing a mysterious stripper inCloser, a romantic drama directed by Mike Nichols based on theplay of the same name, and co-starringJulia Roberts,Jude Law, andClive Owen. Portman agreed to her first sexually explicit adult role after turning down such parts in the past, saying it reflected her own maturity as a person.[21][82] She had also performed her first nude scenes for the film, but they were deleted from the final cut when she insisted that they were inessential to the story.[82]Closer grossed over $115 million worldwide against a $27 million budget, and the criticPeter Travers took note of Portman's "blazing, breakthrough performance", writing that she "digs so deep into the bruised core of her character that they seem to wear the same skin."[83][84] She won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and received anAcademy Award nomination in the same category.[85][86]
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, the final installment of theStar Wars prequel trilogy, was Portman's first film release of 2005. It earned over $848 million to rank as thesecond-highest-grossing film of the year.[87] She next played a Jewish-American girl inFree Zone (2005), a drama from Israeli filmmakerAmos Gitai.[88] During the project, which was shot in Israel —particularly in the spring of 2004—she spent six months takinggraduate courses at theHebrew University of Jerusalem, studying subjects such as theanthropology of violence andMiddle Eastern studies. In 2005, she read the memoirs ofYitzhak Rabin and a novel byDavid Grossman, which she said helped her explore both the role and her own heritage, and remarked that, "living in Israel is really beautiful. One of the most shocking things is how peaceful it feels."[82][89][26] Critics disliked the film for its heavy-handed approach to the conflicts in the Middle East.[90]
Portman's final film role in 2005 was that ofEvey Hammond in the political thrillerV for Vendetta, based on thecomics of the same name, about an alternative future where aneo-fascist regime has subjugated the United Kingdom. She was drawn to the provocative nature of the script, and worked with a dialect coach to speak in an English accent. In a scene in which her character is tortured, her head was shaved on camera; she considered it an opportunity to rid herself of vanity.[91] Ruthe Stein of theSan Francisco Chronicle deemed it Portman's strongest performance to that point, and remarked that she "keeps you focused on her words and actions instead of her bald head."[92] She was awarded theSaturn Award for Best Actress.[93]
Portman began 2006 by hosting an episode of the television sketch comedy showSaturday Night Live.[94] One of her sketches, a song named "Natalie's Rap", was released later in 2009 onIncredibad, an album by theLonely Island.[95] In the anthology filmParis, je t'aime, consisting of eighteen short films, she had a role in the segment named "Faubourg Saint-Denis" from directorTom Tykwer.[96] Later that year, she starred inMiloš Forman'sGoya's Ghosts, about the painterFrancisco Goya. Forman cast her in the film after finding a resemblance between her and Goya's portraitThe Milkmaid of Bordeaux.[97] She insisted on using a body double for her nude scenes after discovering on set that she had to perform them when they were not originally in the script.[98] It received predominantly negative reviews, butRoger Ebert was appreciative of Portman for playing her dual role "with fearless conviction".[99][100]
Portman began 2007 by replacingJodie Foster inWong Kar-wai's romantic dramaMy Blueberry Nights, which was his first English-language film. For her role as a gambler, she trained with a poker coach.[101]Richard Corliss ofTime magazine believed that "for once she's not playing a waif or a child princess but a mature, full-bodied woman" and commended her "vibrancy, grittiness and ache, all performed with a virtuosa's easy assurance".[102] Her next appearance was inHotel Chevalier, a short film fromWes Anderson, which served as a prolog to his featureThe Darjeeling Limited (in which Portman had a cameo).[103] In the short, she andJason Schwartzman play former lovers who reunite in a Paris hotel room. For the first time, Portman performed an extended nude scene; she was later disappointed at the undue focus on it and she subsequently swore off appearing nude again.[98][104] Keen to work in different genres, Portman accepted a role in the children's filmMr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, playing an employee of a magical toy store.[105] She also appeared inPaul McCartney's music video "Dance Tonight" from his albumMemory Almost Full, directed byMichel Gondry.[106]
Scarlett Johansson and Portman portrayed rival sistersMary andAnne Boleyn, respectively, in the period filmThe Other Boleyn Girl (2008). She was excited by the opportunity to work opposite another actress her age, bemoaning that such casting was rare in film.[107] Derek Elley ofVariety was critical of Portman's English accent and wrote that she "doesn't quite bring the necessary heft to make Anne a truly dominant power player".[108] The film had modest box-office earnings.[109] She served as a jury member of the2008 Cannes Film Festival and also launched her own production company, named handsomecharlie films, after her late dog.[101][110] Portman's directorial debut, the short filmEve, opened the short-film screenings at the65th Venice International Film Festival.[111] It is about a young woman who goes to her grandmother's romantic date, and Portman drew inspiration for the older character (played by Lauren Bacall) from her own grandmother.[112]
After producing and co-starring alongsideJoseph Gordon-Levitt in the black comedyHesher (2010),[118] Portman played a ballerina overwhelmed with the prospect of performingSwan Lake inDarren Aronofsky's psychological horror filmBlack Swan. She was trained by the professional ballerinaMary Helen Bowers, and in preparation, she trained for five to eight hours daily for six months and lost 20 pounds (9 kg).[119][120][121] Her performance was acclaimed;[122] writing forEmpire, Dan Jolin found her to be "simultaneously at her most vulnerable and her most predatory, at once frostily brittle and raunchily malleable [...] before peaking at the film's denouement with a raw, alluring showstopper of a performance."[123]Black Swan emerged as asleeper hit, grossing over $329 million worldwide against a $13 million budget, and earned Portman several awards, including theAcademy Award for Best Actress.[124][125][126] Following her Oscar win,controversy arose over who performed the bulk of the on-screen dancing in the film.[127]Sarah Lane, one of Portman's dancing doubles in the film, claimed that the actress performed only about five percent of the full-body shots, adding that she was asked by the film's producers not to speak publicly about it duringawards season.[128] Aronofsky defended Portman by insisting that she had performed 80 percent of the on-screen dancing.[128]
Portman next served as an executive producer forNo Strings Attached (2011), a romantic comedy in which she starred withAshton Kutcher as a young couple in acasual sex relationship. She described the experience of making it as a "palate cleanser" from the intensity ofBlack Swan.[129] It received unfavorable reviews but was a commercial success.[130][131] She next agreed to the filmYour Highness for the opportunity of playing an athletic and foul-mouthed character, which she believed was rare for actresses.[132] Critics were dismissive of the film's reliance onscatological humor and it proved to be abox-office bomb.[133][134] In her final film release of 2011, Portman took on the part ofJane Foster, a scientist and love-interest of thetitular character (played byChris Hemsworth) in theMarvel Cinematic Universe superhero filmThor. She liked the idea ofKenneth Branagh directing a big-budget film that emphasized character; she signed on to it before receiving a script, and helped develop her part by reading the biography of scientists such asRosalind Franklin.[135][136][137] Richard Kuipers ofVariety commended Portman's "sterling work in a thinly written role" for adding dimension to the film's romantic subplot.[138]Thor earned $449.3 million worldwide to emerge as the15th highest-grossing film of 2011.[139]
In 2012, Portman toppedForbes' listing of the most bankable stars in Hollywood.[140] Her sole screen appearance that year was inPaul McCartney's music video "My Valentine", alongsideJohnny Depp.[141] The following year, she reprised the role of Jane Foster inThor: The Dark World, which earned over $644 million worldwide to emerge as the10th highest-grossing film of 2013.[142]Forbes featured her in theirCelebrity 100 listing of 2014, and estimated her income from the previous year to be $13 million.[143]
In 2015, Portman appeared alongside an ensemble cast, includingChristian Bale, inTerrence Malick's experimental drama filmKnight of Cups, which marked her first project after giving birth. She shot for it within a week of returning to work and she did not receive a traditional script or dialogues, improvising most of her scenes with Bale.[144][145] She said that shooting with Malick influenced her own directorial venture,A Tale of Love and Darkness which was released in the same year.[144] Based on Israeli authorAmos Oz's autobiographicalnovel of the same name which is set in Jerusalem during the last years of theBritish Mandate of Palestine, the Hebrew-language film starred Portman who also produced and co-wrote it.[146][147] She had wanted to adapt the book since she first read it a decade ago, but postponed it until she was old enough to play the leading role of a mother herself. She collaborated closely with Amos, showing him drafts of her script as she adapted the book.[148][149] While the film received partial funding from the rightist Israeli government, Portman said the film was "absolutely not" pro-Israeli or patriotic. The film also touches on the dispossession of Palestinians resulting from the1948 war during Israel's founding phase.[63][150] She later remarked that it was easier to be a female director in Israel than in the U.S., "thanks to theIDF". She explained that Israeli men are accustomed to female officers and commanders, "making it easier for them to accept female authority."[151] Critics gave the film generally positive reviews.[152]A. O. Scott ofThe New York Times found it to be a "conscientious adaptation of a difficult book" and was appreciative of Portman's potential as a filmmaker.[153]
She next produced and starred in thewestern filmJane Got a Gun about a young mother seeking vengeance. Initially scheduled to be directed byLynne Ramsay, the production was plagued with numerous difficulties. Ramsay did not turn up on set for the first day of filming and was eventually replaced withGavin O'Connor.Michael Fassbender,Jude Law, andBradley Cooper were all cast as the male lead, beforeEwan McGregor played the part.[154]Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian reviewed that Portman's "stately performance" was not enough to save the "laborious and solemn western", and it grossed less than $4 million against its $25 million budget.[155][156]
Portman portrayedJacqueline Kennedy in thePablo Larraín-directed biopicJackie (2016), about Kennedy's life immediately after the1963 assassination ofher husband. She was initially intimidated to take on the part of a well-known public figure,[157] and eventually researched Kennedy extensively by watching videos of her, reading books, and listening to audiotapes of her interviews.[158][159] She also worked with a dialect coach to adopt Kennedy's unique speaking style.[160] David Rooney ofThe Hollywood Reporter termed it an "incandescent performance" and added that "her Jackie is both inscrutable and naked, broken but unquestionably resilient, a mess and yet fiercely dignified".[161] She won theCritics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.[162][163] She also served as producer for thecomedy horror filmPride and Prejudice and Zombies, directed byBurr Steers, and starred inRebecca Zlotowski's French-Belgian dramaPlanetarium.[164][165] The 2017 experimental romanceSong to Song marked Portman's second collaboration with Terrence Malick, which like their previous film polarized critics.[166][167] That year, Portman revealed that she has experienced sexual harassment or discrimination in almost every project she has worked on, despite initially believing she had avoided such experiences.[168]
In 2018, Portman starred in the science fiction filmAnnihilation, based onJeff VanderMeer'snovel. She played a biologist and former soldier who studies a mysterious quarantined zone of mutating organisms.[169] She was pleased to headline a rare female-led science fiction film, and she moved her family nearPinewood Studios during filming. For the action sequences, she underwent movement training with the dancerBobbi Jene Smith.[170] Benjamin Lee ofThe Guardian took note of Portman's "strong, fiercely compelling presence" and commended her for playing the part without unnecessary sentimentality.[171] It only received a limited theatrical release and was distributed onNetflix internationally.[172] Her next appearance was inXavier Dolan's first English-language film, the ensemble dramaThe Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2018), which was termed a "shocking misfire" by Eric Kohn ofIndieWire.[173] She then starred as a troubled pop singer inVox Lux, sharing the part withRaffey Cassidy. She was drawn to the idea of showcasing the negative effects of fame, and in preparation, she watched documentaries on musicians and listened to the music ofSia, who wrote her songs in the film. For the climactic dance routines, she trained with her then-husband,Benjamin Millepied, who choreographed the sequence.[174] It received mixed reviews from critics, but Portman's performance earned praise.[175] Comparing it to her performances inBlack Swan andJackie,Robbie Collin ofThe Daily Telegraph wrote that "this role has a similar audacity and extravagance that few actresses would dare attempt, let alone be allowed to get away with".[176]
Unused footage fromThor: The Dark World and a new voice-over were used for Portman's brief appearance in the 2019 superhero filmAvengers: Endgame.[177] She then portrayed a psychologically troubled astronaut (based onLisa Nowak) in the dramaLucy in the Sky, directed byNoah Hawley.[178] She replaced the film's producerReese Witherspoon, who backed out due to a scheduling conflict. The film was poorly received, though Portman's performance was praised.[179] The following year, she narrated theDisney+ nature documentaryDolphin Reef and voiced Jane Foster in the animated seriesWhat If...?.[180][181] In 2022, Portman reprised her role as Foster in the sequelThor: Love and Thunder, in which her character becomesMighty Thor.[182][183] She agreed to return to the franchise after meeting with directorTaika Waititi, who offered to portray her character in an "adventurous and fun and funny" way.[184][185] In preparation, Portman took theMjolnirprop home to practice using it for her stunts.[186] Nick Allen atRogerEbert.com opined, "In both her human and her heroic state, Portman’s performance conveys why it's great to see Jane again."[187] Portman received a nomination for theCritics' Choice Super Award for Best Actress in a Superhero Movie.[188] In a 2022 readers' poll byEmpire magazine, Portman was voted one of the 50 greatest actors of all time.[189]
Portman and her producing partner, Sophie Mas, founded the production company MountainA in 2021, and signed a first-look television deal withApple TV+.[190] The company's first project wasMay December, a drama from filmmakerTodd Haynes, starring Portman andJulianne Moore, which premiered at the2023 Cannes Film Festival.[191][192] Portman played an actress researching for her role as a woman (played by Moore) whose marriage to a much younger man was highly controversial. She was pleased to work with Haynes, whose work she admired, and to play a morally ambiguous character.[193] Geoffrey Macnab ofThe Independent believed that the film had been "galvanised by the tremendous performances from Portman and Moore".[194] Portman received another Golden Globe nomination for her performance.[195] The company next produced theHBO documentary seriesAngel City, about the inaugural season ofAngel City FC, which was co-founded by Portman.[191]
MountainA's third project wasLady in the Lake (2024), an Apple TV+ miniseries adaptation ofLaura Lippman'sthriller novel. Portman played a 1960s housewife inBaltimore who turns into an investigative journalist following an unsolved murder.[196] Production in Baltimore was briefly paused when the crew received threats of violence.[197] Continuing her collaboration with Apple TV+, Portman will next star inFountain of Youth, an adventure film directed byGuy Ritchie.[198] She will also star alongsideJenna Ortega inCathy Yan's thriller filmThe Gallerist.[199]
Endorsements
Beyond her acting career, Portman has been a longtime ambassador for Dior. She signed with the brand in 2010 and has starred in multiple advertising campaigns.[200] In March 2011, Portman began voluntarily promoting afundraising campaign forHadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. The campaign was aimed at raising funds for the construction of the Sarah Wetsman Davidson Tower, a new hospitalization tower at the hospital'sEin Kerem campus, which was open in 2012. The campaign was a joint effort with theHadassah Women's Zionist Organization of America, which owns the hospital.[11] Later in October 2012,Britain's Advertising Standards Authority banned a Dior advertisement that featured Portman wearing Dior mascara after a complaint from Dior's competitor,L'Oreal, saying that the advert "misleadingly exaggerated the likely effects of the product". The ASA ruled that "the ad was likely to mislead".[201] Portman is the face of one of the company's fragrances, Miss Dior, inspired byCatherine Dior.[202] She has starred in campaign videos for the fragrance, and promoted a new version of the fragrance, Rose N'Roses, in 2021.[203][204]
In July 2020, she became one of the leaders of the creation ofNWSL soccer teamAngel City FC and also became one of the owners of the team.[205]
Activism
Animal and human rights
Portman has long been an advocate for various causes, includinganimal rights, where she became a vegetarian at age eight after witnessing a demonstration of laser surgery on a chicken during a medical conference with her father. This experience deeply influenced her decision and has been a key part of her commitment toanimal welfare.[206][207] She became avegan in 2009 after readingJonathan Safran Foer'sEating Animals and later produced a documentary on factory farming systems in the U.S. by the same title.[208][209] In September 2017, she was recognized for her work on the film by theEnvironmental Media Association Awards with the Ongoing Commitment Award.[210] She does not wear animal products and has praised animal-friendly products designed byStella McCartney andTarget. In 2007, she launched her own brand of animal-friendly footwear.[211] In 2007, Portman traveled toRwanda withJack Hanna to film the documentaryGorillas on the Brink.[212] Portman has been an advocate ofenvironmental causes since childhood, when she joined an environmental song and dance troupe known as World Patrol Kids.[213]
Portman has also supported anti-poverty causes. In 2004 and 2005, she traveled toUganda, Guatemala, andEcuador as the Ambassador of Hope forFINCA International, an organization that promotesmicro-lending to help finance women-owned businesses in developing countries.[214] In an interview appearing on thePBS programForeign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria, she discussedmicrofinance. HostFareed Zakaria said that he was "generally wary of celebrities with fashionable causes", but included the segment with Portman because "she really knew her stuff".[215] OnThis Week with George Stephanopoulos in April 2007, Portman discussed her work with FINCA and how it can benefit women and children inThird World countries.[216] In fall-2007, she visited several university campuses, including Harvard, USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Stanford, Princeton, New York University, and Columbia, to inspire students with the power of microfinance and to encourage them to join theVillage Banking Campaign to help families and communities lift themselves out of poverty.[217]
Portman is a supporter of theDemocratic Party, and for the2004 presidential election she campaigned for SenatorJohn Kerry.[218][219] Prior to the2008 presidential election, she supported SenatorHillary Clinton of New York in the Democratic primaries. Portman later campaigned for SenatorBarack Obama of Illinois. In a 2008 interview, she also stated: "I even likeJohn McCain. I disagree with his war stance – which is a really big deal – but I think he's a very moral person."[220] In 2010, her activist work and popularity with young people earned her a nomination forVH1'sDo Something Awards, which is dedicated to honoring individuals who do good.[221] In 2011, Portman and her then-fiancé Benjamin Millepied were among the signers of a petition to President Obama in support ofsame-sex marriage.[222] She supportedObama's re-election campaign in 2012.[223]
In January 2011, Portman was appointed an ambassador ofWE Charity (formerly known as Free The Children), an international charity and educational partner, spearheading their Power of a Girl campaign.[228] She hosted a contest challenging girls in North America to fundraise for one of WE Charity's all-girl schools in Kenya. As incentives for the contest winner, Portman offered the designer Rodarte dress she wore to the premiere ofBlack Swan, along with tickets to her next film premiere.[228] It was announced in May 2012 that Portman would be working with watch designerRichard Mille to develop a limited-edition timepiece with proceeds supporting WE Charity.[229] During WE Day California 2019 Portman gave a pro vegan speech in front of the student audience, linking vegan lifestyle and feminism.[230][231] In December 2019, she visited Kenya a second time with WE Charity and spoke with young girls determined to improve their lives through access to education.[232]
In 2006, Portman served as a guest lecturer atColumbia University for a course interrorism andcounterterrorism, where she spoke about her filmV for Vendetta.[233] In February 2015, Portman was among other alumni of Harvard University includingRobert F. Kennedy Jr.,Darren Aronofsky andSusan Faludi who wrote an open letter to the school demanding itdivest its $35,900,000,000 endowment from coal, gas, and oil companies.[234] Later that year in May, she spoke at the annual Harvard Class Day to the graduating class of 2015.[235]
In January 2018, she donated $50,000 to theTime's Up initiative.[236] Portman took part in the2018 Women's March in Los Angeles, where she spoke about the "sexual terrorism" she experienced at age thirteen after the release of her filmLéon: The Professional. She told the crowd, "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."[237] She drew attention to theMeToo movement, revealing that her first fan letter was a "rape fantasy" from a man and that her local radio station created a countdown until her eighteenth birthday (when she would reachlegal age to consent to have intercourse).[237] In September 2023, Portman spoke at an event for the United Nations Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls, where she urged member states to reinvest in the Initiative and ending gender-based violence.[238]
Haaretz has described Portman as "one of Israel's outspoken supporters"; even when global public opinion has turned against Israel, she has remained steadfast in her support for "the Holy Land," advocating through academic articles, lectures, and public declarations.[244]Haaretz cited Portman raisingfunds for the reconstruction ofnorthern Israel after the2006 Lebanon War as a notable example of her support.[244] However, Portman herself has described her relationship with Israel as complex, "like family—you love it more than anything else in the world, and you are also more critical of it than anything else in the world."[245]
In 2002, at Harvard, Portman wrote a letter toThe Harvard Crimson in response to an essay critical ofIsraeli actions toward Palestinians, arguing that it misleadingly compared the situation to racialapartheid and that instead "most Israelis and Palestinians are indistinguishable physically".[246] She has criticized theIsraeli government, specifically Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu, being critical of hisre-election in 2015, saying she was "disappointed" and found his comments racist.[247] In November 2017, Portman was announced as theGenesis Prize recipient for 2018, which includes $2,000,000 in prize money.[248][247] The following April, Portman announced that she did not plan to attend the awards ceremony scheduled for June, citing "recent events in Israel" that left her feeling uncomfortable attending public events there, leading to the ceremony being canceled.[249]
Portman clarified that she was not boycotting Israel, stating, "I am not part of the BDS movement and do not endorse it. Like many Israelis and Jews, I can be critical of Israel's leadership without wanting to boycott the nation." She explained that she did not want to "appear as endorsing" Prime Minister Netanyahu, who was scheduled to speak at the ceremony, and emphasized that "the mistreatment of those suffering from today’satrocities is not in line with my Jewish values." She added, "Because I care about Israel, I must stand up against violence, corruption, inequality, and abuse of power".[254][255][256] Later in 2018, Portman criticized the passing of the highly controversial and widely criticizedNation-State Bill, describing the law as "racist, and there’s nothing else to say about that."[257][258] She is also a member of theOne Voice movement.[259]
On October 18, 2023, Portman called for the release ofhostages held by Hamas and condemned their actions. She also advocated for Israeli children who have been kidnapped, urging support for their release. Additionally, she publicized information aboutDror Israel on Instagram to raise funds for children near theGaza border and called on theRed Cross to address ongoing breaches of International Humanitarian Law within Israel.[260] On November 12, 2023, she took part in theMarch for the Republic and Against Antisemitism in Paris in response to therise in antisemitism since the start of theGaza war.[261]
Portman speaks English, Hebrew, French, German, Japanese and Arabic, to various degrees.[262] In 2005, she bought an apartment inRichard Meier's glass tower in theWest Village for $5.7 million. In 2008, she listed it for sale at $6.55 million.[263] In 2006, Portman expressed a strong connection to her Jewish identity, particularly in Israel, and shared her desire to raise her children Jewish: "A priority for me is definitely that I'd like to raise my kids Jewish, but the ultimate thing is to have someone who is a good person and who is a partner."[264][265]
In 2013, she was living in Los Angeles.[269] After Millepied was appointed director of dance at theParis Opera Ballet,[270][271] the family relocated to Paris in the autumn of 2014, where Portman also expressed interest in obtaining French citizenship.[272][273] In January 2014, Millepied announced that he was in the process ofconverting to Judaism.[274] From 2017 to 2021, Portman owned a home inMontecito.[275][276] She still owns a home in theLos Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles.[277] In early 2023, reports surfaced alleging an extramarital affair by Millepied. The couple never publicly addressed the claims.[278] On March 8, 2024, it was announced that Portman and Millepied had divorced.[279]
^Some Hebrew sources claim that her birth name was "Neta-Lee Hershleg" (Hebrew:נטע-לי הרשלג) and later, her first name wasAmericanized to "Natalie".[3][4][5][6] However, Portman herself has stated that her name has "always been Natalie" and that she doesn't know where "Neta-Lee" came from.[7]
^Hayat, Inbal (September 21, 2017)."אחים שלנו: היהודים הכי לוהטים בהוליווד" [Our Brothers: The Hottest Jews in Hollywood From Mila Kunis to Ivanka].Haaretz. RetrievedFebruary 12, 2025.
^Hurley, Ian; Hershlag, Natalie; Woodward, Jonathan (1998). "A Simple Method To Demonstrate the Enzymatic Production of Hydrogen from Sugar".Journal of Chemical Education.75 (10): 1270.Bibcode:1998JChEd..75.1270H.doi:10.1021/ed075p1270.
^Patterson, John (December 4, 2004)."Model of integrity".The Guardian.Archived from the original on April 29, 2018. RetrievedSeptember 25, 2022.I'm going to college. I don't care if it ruins my career. I'd rather be smart than a movie star.
^Brown, R. (August 4, 2004). "Size of the Moon".Time Out, London, 51(78).
^Jolin, Dan (July 27, 2009)."Black Swan Review".Empire.Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. RetrievedAugust 6, 2019.
^Zeitchik, Steven; Fritz, Ben (January 16, 2011)."'Black Swan's' risks pay off".Los Angeles Times.Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. RetrievedMay 7, 2012.
^Rooney, David (September 7, 2016)."'Jackie': Venice Review".The Hollywood Reporter.Archived from the original on October 14, 2016. RetrievedOctober 14, 2016.
^Scheck, Frank (March 30, 2020)."'Dolphin Reef': Film Review".The Hollywood Reporter.Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. RetrievedMarch 31, 2020.
^abMendelsohn, Ran; Shamir, Oron (August 31, 2015)."החלום הישראלי: מנטע-לי הרשלג לכוכבת" [The Israeli Dream: From Neta-Li Harshleg to Star].Haaretz. [Portman is one of Israel's outspoken supporters. Even when global public opinion is turned against her, she supports the Holy Land both in academic articles and lectures and in a declarative manner, for example when she raised donations for the reconstruction of northern Israel after the Second Lebanon War.]
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