Natalie Portman Discusses Jacqueline Kennedy’s Reasoning for Wearing Blood-Stained Dress
Jackie, set to be released on Dec. 2, tells the story of Jacqueline Kennedy in the immediate aftermath of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Its star, Natalie Portman, was on Today and discussed an interesting detail regarding an outfit she wore for the part, Kennedy’s famous pink Chanel suit.
The first lady kept the suit on after the assassination, even wearing it as she stood next to Lyndon B. Johnson as he took the oath of office. “She had the presence of mind to say I’m going to stay in this dress because my image is important right now,” Portman shared. “It’s important for people to see what this looks like. So they were offering to take off this bloody dress, bloody suit, and she said, ‘No, everyone should see what this is.’”
The suit is kept at the National Archives but is not available for public viewing due to Kennedy family restrictions.
Another interesting tidbit from Portman’s conversation with Matt Lauer was regarding the “Camelot” legacy of the Kennedys. One might think that term was in use as the glamorous president and first lady moved into the White House, but that’s not actually the case. Rather, it was the first lady herself who pushed the image after JFK’s death.
“She came up with the term herself, which is so wild, to name yourself, sort of, as the king and queen of this nation that’s not a royal government, not a monarchy,” the Oscar winner noted. “So she was the one who came up with ‘Camelot,’ and it endured. That’s part of what the film is about.”
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