Natalie Portman reportedly finds Rachel Cusk’s novel ‘annoying’

Natalie Portman reportedly finds Rachel Cusk’s new novel Life of M “annoying”, while people close to the actor have disputed claims that she and the author were close friends.

Sources told Page Six that Portman and Cusk have only met a handful of times and do not regularly socialise. The comments come amid speculation that Cusk’s fictional movie star, M, was closely based on Portman’s life.

The similarities between M and Portman have fuelled the discussion surrounding the novel. Like Portman, M became famous as a child, is associated with a major brand, lives in a European capital, has a strong interest in books and stars in a ballet film.

The fictional character also discusses an early film containing sexualised material involving her child character, which her mother objected to having included.

Portman’s breakout role came at 12 in 1994’s Léon: The Professional, and she has spoken publicly about being sexualised as a young actor and her complicated relationship with the film.

Another parallel involves M preparing extensively for a ballet role. Portman trained for her performance as Nina Sayers in Black Swan, which earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2011.

Portman has publicly supported Cusk’s writing for years, selecting her work for Natalie’s Book Club and interviewing her about Second Place. She also selected Cusk’s Parade for her book club in 2024.

However, sources told Page Six that the literary connection should not be interpreted as evidence of a close personal friendship.

They also disputed suggestions that Portman collaborated with Cusk on Life of M or gave permission for private experiences to be used.

Cusk’s publisher does not identify M as Portman, describing the novel instead as a story about fame, identity and the divide between public image and private reality.

The controversy follows previous questions surrounding Cusk’s use of real-life inspiration. Her 2009 travel memoir The Last Supper: A Summer in Italy was withdrawn after a person portrayed in the book objected to the characterisation and threatened legal action.

Life of M is scheduled for US publication on August 25.