Natalie Portman is speaking out once again about the sexualization she faced as a young actor, calling it a “long Lolita phase” during a candid conversation with Jenna Ortega for Interview magazine. Portman, who was just 12 when she starred in Léon: The Professional, revealed she often felt scared by the way the industry treated her growing up.
“There’s a public understanding of me that’s different from who I am,” she said. “I was really sexualized, which I think happens to a lot of young girls who are onscreen. I felt very scared by it.”
Portman, who stars with Ortega in the upcoming film The Gallerist, added that she spent much of her career trying to avoid stereotypical roles. “There was a long Lolita phase,” she said, “then the long ‘chick who helps the guy realize his emotional thing’ phase for about a decade.”
Speaking previously on the Smartless podcast, Portman noted she developed a tough on-set persona to protect herself from predators. “That kind of projection of seriousness protected me,” she said.
With strong support from her parents and a degree in psychology from Harvard, Portman has continued navigating Hollywood on her own terms. She next stars alongside John Krasinski in Guy Ritchie’s Fountain of Youth, premiering May 23 on Apple TV+.