Natalie Portman Says She Bonded With ‘Role Model’ Jodie Foster Over ‘Being Sexualized as a Young Actress’

Jodie Foster reached out to Natalie Portman about being sexualized in Hollywood, the “May December” actress recalled on the Monday episode of the “Smartless” podcast.

Cohost Jason Bateman asked her if she has a specific role model in her career, mentioning Jodie Foster.

“I talked to her much later, which was amazing. I did a speech at a women’s march about being sexualized as a young actress, and, she reached out to me after that, and we talked and it was amazing,” Portman said. “She’s still a role model.”

Cohost Sean Hayes followed up on the common experience for women in entertainment, asking if Portman had come to recognize a certain personality or found any red flags to clock in someone who might end up sexualizing women in Hollywood during her career in the industry. Portman said no, and she reflected on the guard she put up as a celebrity.

“I feel like it’s still surprising that it exists. But I feel like that projection of seriousness protected me in a way, because I feel like it was almost like a warning signal, like ‘Oh, don’t do s–t to her,’” Portman said. “Not that anyone ever like, you know, deserves it or is asking for it, but I felt like that was my unconscious way of doing it.”

She did share something she considered “the biggest sign.”

“I feel like the biggest sign is when people talk s–t about women,” she said. “If they talk s–t about anyone, even if they’re just like, ‘Ugh, she’s really difficult,’ that’s like a flag for me. Like, ‘There’s more to that story.’”

Portman also discussed points in her career including the “Star Wars” prequels and her role in Marvel’s “Thor” movies.

Listen to the full podcast here.

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