
Natalie Portman says ‘bookish' persona was ‘my way of protecting myself' as a child star
Natalie Portman, a movie star for over 30 years, doesn't think the public knows her as well as they think they might.
In a new conversation with actress Jenna Ortega published in Interview this week, Portman said that as a child actor, she was 'really sexualized,' which she felt 'very scared by.' It caused her to develop an outward persona as a strategy to shield herself.
'And I felt like my way of protecting myself was to be like, 'I'm so serious. I'm so studious. I'm smart, and that's not the kind of girl you attack.' I was like, if I create this image of myself, I'll be left alone,' she said.
The Oscar-winner added that she reasoned at the time, 'if I create this image of myself, I'll be left alone. It shouldn't be a thing, but it worked.'
Portman said that this conception of her has led to a 'disconnect' in how she actually can be 'stupid and silly in real life, and people thinking that I'm some really serious bookish person.'
Portman even told Ortega that in real life, 'I'm not a particularly private person,' adding 'I'll tell you anything.' In public, however, 'it was so clear early on that if you tell people how private you are, your privacy gets respected a lot more.'
Ortega admitted, 'I don't really know what that line is. I guess I'm still figuring that out.'
Portman's career took off when she starred in Luc Besson's 'The Professional' at 13 years old. She played a hard-boiled orphan in New York City who becomes targeted by gangsters, ultimately gaining protection from an Italian hitman (Jean Reno).
Portman is next set to star in 'Fountain of Youth,' a movie premiering on AppleTV+ next month. She will also be costarring opposite Ortega in upcoming film 'The Gallerist.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Business Upturn
an hour ago
- Business Upturn
Loot Season 3: Release date speculation, cast and plot details – Everything we know so far
By Aman Shukla Published on June 10, 2025, 18:30 IST Last updated June 10, 2025, 11:44 IST The Apple TV+ comedy series Loot , starring Maya Rudolph, has won over audiences with its sharp humor and heartfelt storytelling. After a successful second season, fans are eagerly awaiting Loot Season 3. Here's everything we know so far about the upcoming season of this beloved workplace comedy. Loot Season 3 Release Date Speculation While Apple TV+ has officially renewed Loot for a third season, no exact release date has been confirmed as of June 2025. The first season premiered on June 24, 2022, and the second season aired on April 3, 2024, after delays due to the 2023 Hollywood strikes. Based on this timeline, Loot Season 3 could potentially premiere in late 2025 or early 2026, assuming production follows a similar schedule. Loot Season 3 Expected Cast The core cast of Loot is expected to return for Season 3, bringing back the beloved ensemble that drives the show's comedic and emotional moments. Here's who we anticipate seeing: Maya Rudolph as Molly Wells, the billionaire divorcee navigating her charitable foundation and personal growth. Michaela Jaé Rodriguez as Sofia Salinas, the no-nonsense executive director of the Wells Foundation. Joel Kim Booster as Nicholas, Molly's loyal and quirky assistant with acting aspirations. Nat Faxon as Arthur, the kind-hearted accountant with a budding romantic connection to Molly. Ron Funches as Howard, Molly's optimistic cousin and a key member of the foundation team. Recurring and guest stars likely to return include: Adam Scott as John Novak, Molly's ex-husband. Stephanie Styles as Ainsley. Meagen Fay as Rhonda. O-T Fagbenle as Isaac, Sofia's romantic interest and a charismatic architect. Benjamin Bratt and Ana Gasteyer in supporting roles. Loot Season 3 Potential Plot Loot follows Molly Wells, a newly divorced billionaire who, after receiving an $87 billion settlement, reconnects with her charitable Wells Foundation to find purpose and rediscover her humanity. Season 2 ended on a dramatic note, with Molly and her assistant Nicholas boarding her private jet after an awkward encounter with Arthur, whom she kissed despite his relationship status. This sets the stage for a mix of personal and professional challenges in Season 3. Aman Shukla is a post-graduate in mass communication . A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication ,content writing and copy writing. Aman is currently working as journalist at
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Sydney Sweeney Says ‘Euphoria' Season 3 Is More 'Unhinged' & Promises A 'Crazier' Cassie
In Season 2 of Euphoria, Cassie had 'never ever been happier,' and according to star Sydney Sweeney, in the forthcoming third season, she's never been been 'crazier.' Speaking to Empire magazine in promotion for her new Apple TV+ film opposite Julianne Moore, Echo Valley, the actress-producer previewed what fans can expect from the long-delayed installment. More from Deadline 'The Last Of Us' Star Bella Ramsey Discusses How Ellie's "Monomaniacal Need To Kill Abby" Leads Her Down A Dark Path Throughout Season 2 Finale 'The Last Of Us' Creators Break Down Season 2 Finale, Tease What's To Come For Ellie & Abby After That Cliffhanger: "They Are Not Done" 'The Last Of Us': Differences Between HBO Series & Video Game Across Seasons 1 And 2 'I have such a spot in my heart for Cassie, and I hold her really close and dear,' the Fifty Fifty Films founder began. 'She is crazy. She makes so many mistakes. She's flawed on so many levels, but she does it all from a place of love. It could be a sad version of love, as well. It's so much fun to play a character that is as crazy as she is. Sam [Levinson] is such a brilliant filmmaker to work with, because I'll read something, then I'll call him, and I'm like, 'Let's go crazier.' And he's like, 'I'm all in.' And this season is unhinged.' When asked to clarify if the HBO dramedy is even 'more unhinged' than previous seasons, Sweeney laughed and replied, 'Yes.' Produced in partnership with A24, the brainchild of Levinson, the show went darker and wilder in its sophomore installment, all culminating in a meta play that laid bare the East Highland High School gossip of the year, including Cassie's secret tryst with Maddie's (Alexa Demie) abusive ex-boyfriend Nate (Jacob Elordi). Currently filming in Los Angeles, the series will take its characters out of high school for the first time, featuring a five-year time jump and set for premiere next year, four years after Season 2's conclusion — a gap largely attributed to the dual strikes and creative factors. Since then, actors Sharon Stone, Asante Blackk and Lucy Punch, as well as Rosalía, Marshawn Lynch and Kadeem Hardison, have joined returning series regulars Zendaya, Maude Apatow, Eric Dane, Hunter Schafer, Demie, Elordi and Sweeney. Colman Domingo will return as a guest star. Outside of Euphoria, Sweeney just wrapped filming on an as-yet untitled biopic about boxer Christy Martin and production on The Housemaid, a Paul Feig-helmed adaptation which she co-produced. She is currently producing and starring in Scandalous!, directed by Domingo, about the relationship between Sammy Davis Jr. and Kim Novak (Sweeney). Her previously announced Barbarella remake is also in process. Outside that, she will be seen in Americana, releasing Aug. 22, 2025. Best of Deadline 'Poker Face' Season 2 Guest Stars: From Katie Holmes To Simon Hellberg Everything We Know About Amazon's 'Verity' Movie So Far Everything We Know About 'The Testaments,' Sequel Series To 'The Handmaid's Tale' So Far
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘Echo Valley' Review: Julianne Moore And Sydney Sweeney Are Dynamite In Nail-Biting, Riveting Thriller
Pair stars like Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney, add BAFTA-winning director Michael Pearce and a top screenwriter of, among others, the Emmy-winning Mare of Easttown in Brad Ingelsby and major producers including Ridley Scott and it is not a surprise that they have collectively cooked up one barnburner of a thriller. And the 'barnburner' part you can take literally. It is called Echo Valley and will begin streaming on Apple TV+ on June 13, but this could do well in theaters (it supposedly will play in a select few). Nevertheless, it is gripping stuff no matter how you find it. More from Deadline Sydney Sweeney And Julianne Moore To Star In Apple Original Films' 'Echo Valley' Will 'M3GAN 2.0' Run Brad Pitt's 'F1' Off The Road At U.S. Box Office? - Early Look Mikey Madison In Talks To Step In For Sydney Sweeney On A24's 'Masque Of The Red Death' Moore, in fine form, plays Kate, divorced and now estranged from her ex-husband Richard (Kyle MacLachlan, in all too briefly) and grieving the loss of her wife, also has to deal with an on-and-off relationship with volatile daughter Claire (Sydney Sweeney), who is running with the wrong crowd and hopelessly addicted to drugs. Kate has been doing everything she can to help her and get her back on track. But she is broke thanks to Claire's travails, and even resorts to begging her ex for money to fix her Echo Valley Farm roof which is one storm away from caving in. To make ends meet she boards horses and gives riding lessons, but it is not enough. Claire has a run-in when her bad-news boyfriend Ryan (Edmund Donovan) shows up with his petty criminal drug dealer Jackie Lyman (Domhnall Gleeson), the latter strong-arming her and demanding the return of a case with drugs that she unknowingly tossed over a bridge during a fight with Ryan. He demands $10,000 until Kate discovers the altercation and kicks him out. After hysterically trying to force money from her mother, Claire takes off. Things don't go well from there and when she finally returns, a mess with blood all over her, Kate asks what happened. Turns out another encounter with Ryan and Jackie ended violently and Kate confesses she accidentally killed Ryan. 'Did you go to the police?' her mother asks. 'No,' she replies. At this moment what is a mother who has lost everything going to do with the daughter, no matter how difficult, who is all she has left? 'Where's the body?' Kate asks. From this point on hang on to your seat because you will be jumping out of it due to the myriad twists and turns this wild ride takes us on. Ingelsby is an exceptional storyteller and has provided a real crackerjack of a thriller with this premise that also examines family dynamics and just how much is too much unconditional love of a mother for her child. For a while I was thinking this is all a great advertisement against ever having kids, and it is only because Moore is just so exceptional in this kind of harrowing situation that you believe she would go as far as she does indeed go for the sake of saving Claire from herself. Echo Valley is the perfect match for someone of Moore's prodigious talents, a role requiring physicality, strong emotions and belief this is a woman with more than one trick up her sleeve to survive and keep what is left of her family together. Sweeney goes for it too, a true powder keg going off at any moment, and she makes Claire into one humdinger of a problem. In Sweeney's hands you can see someone believably falling under the spell of such a dead-end lover, but you just want to lock her up and throw away the key. The dynamic, ever-changing and charged between the two, is palpable. Into all this comes Jackie Lyman, and I had no idea it was Gleeson who totally transforms into this creepy little small-time monster who terrorizes Claire, and then most memorably Kate (there are shades of Max Cady from Cape Fear here). Gleeson delivers one of the more convincing bad dude turns in recent years, evil personified but a guy who thinks he is much smarter than he really is. You just hate Jackie, but Gleeson you cannot take you eyes off whenever he is on screen. Among the rest of the cast, Fiona Shaw is excellent as the grounding best friend who tries to calm an increasingly troubled Kate. There is also fine work from Albert Jones as a police detective and Donovan as the loser boyfriend. Pearce's slick production is aided immeasurably by Benjamin Kracun's first-rate cinematography and the superb atmospheric production design from Keith P. Cunningham. Producers are Ridley Scott, Michael Pruss, Kevin J. Walsh and Ingelsby. Title: Echo ValleyDistributor: Apple Original FilmsRelease Date: June 13, 2025 (streaming on Apple TV+)Director: Michael PearceScreenwriter: Brad IngelsbyCast: Julianne Moore, Sydney Sweeney, Domhnall Gleeson, Fiona Shaw, Edmund Donovan, Albert Jones, Kyle MacLachlan, John Kenton KramerRating: RRunning time: 1 hr and 43 mins Best of Deadline Broadway's 2024-2025 Season: All Of Deadline's Reviews Venice Film Festival 2024: All Of Deadline's Movie Reviews Telluride Film Festival 2024: All Of Deadline's Movie Reviews