Being sexualised as a child actor has changed me, says Natalie Portman
Her first ever 'fan mail' at 13 was a rape fantasy written by an older man
PHOTO: HARPER'S BAZAAR
After spending nearly quarter of a century in the film industry, Hollywood actor Natalie Portman has shared that being sexualised as a child star made her feel unsafe, reported USA Today. The No Strings Attached actor made her debut with 1994's The Professional, aged 13.
Last January, the 37-year-old revealed that her first ever 'fan mail' was a rape fantasy written by an older man. "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," she reflected.
Portman added, "I felt the need to cover my body and to inhibit my expression and my work in order to send my own message to the world that I'm someone worth of safety and respect."
Natalie Portman feels Time's Up has united actresses
However, one has to bear in mind that this was when she was just a teen. Today, the Black Swan star says she has come to terms with the situation. "I know I was sexualised in the ways that I was photographed or portrayed, and that was not my doing. That becomes a part of your public identity," she said.
Portman will be next seen opposite Jude Law in Vox Lux. The film tells the story of a pop star who survived a school shooting as a young girl. "She is such a wild character, but she's also someone I felt was a real person, who is the product of this life that has happened to her," she said of character.
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Last January, the 37-year-old revealed that her first ever 'fan mail' was a rape fantasy written by an older man. "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," she reflected.
Portman added, "I felt the need to cover my body and to inhibit my expression and my work in order to send my own message to the world that I'm someone worth of safety and respect."
Natalie Portman feels Time's Up has united actresses
However, one has to bear in mind that this was when she was just a teen. Today, the Black Swan star says she has come to terms with the situation. "I know I was sexualised in the ways that I was photographed or portrayed, and that was not my doing. That becomes a part of your public identity," she said.
Portman will be next seen opposite Jude Law in Vox Lux. The film tells the story of a pop star who survived a school shooting as a young girl. "She is such a wild character, but she's also someone I felt was a real person, who is the product of this life that has happened to her," she said of character.
Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.