Natalie Portman has continued to rise in her career since making her acting debut at age 12 in the film industry. The actress has undoubtedly captured the hearts of millions through her charming personality. Portman ventured into Hollywood with big dreams in her eyes to become one of the best actresses in the industry.
She first appeared in the 1994 action thriller Léon: The Professional as a young artist at age 12. It was a big deal for her to get a role in the movie as a young star who was then beginning her career. However, Portman made bombshell revelations at the 2018 Women’s March in Los Angeles, claiming she received a r*pe threat from a fan after this movie.
Natalie Portman Reveals She Received R*pe Threats From a Fan
Natalie Portman is arguably one of the best star performers in Hollywood, and she has proven herself to be an acting force to be reckoned with ever since she catapulted to fame with her starstruck performance in the 1999 movie Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.
The pressure of being in the limelight is particularly extreme for female stars, and when Portman ventured into the industry at the age of 13 with her first role in the 1994 French thriller Léon: The Professional, she experienced the same pressure of becoming a young star. She played Mathilda Lando, a 12-year-old teenager, in the movie.
However, during her sobering speech at the 2018 Women’s March in Los Angeles, Natalie Portman revealed she felt she was offered overly s***alized roles during the early years of her career. Speaking about her first movie, after which she experienced the most horrible thing as a teen artist, the actress said,
“I was so excited at 13 when [The Professional] was released, and my art would have a human response. I excitedly opened my first fan mail to read a r*pe fantasy that a man had written me.”
The actress added things started to take a sour turn; as she explained, after her first movie, she began to receive offers involving “more s–ually charged roles.” The actress said,
“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. 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 worthy of safety and respect.”
Natalie Portman continued,
“I know I was s***alized in the ways that I was photographed or portrayed, and that was not my doing. That becomes a part of your public identity.”
Portman’s PTSD from her chilling r-pe threats continued to haunt her for a while. This incident is a stark reminder of the perils and dangers women still face in the workplace. This a sobering anecdote that should be an eye-opener for society to protect and treat women with respect.
A Brief Note on Natalie Portman’s Career
Natalie Portman is one of the finest stars in Hollywood who has worked with enough A-list celebrities in the industry. Her acting skills and silver-screen presence always left her fans amused.
By any measure, she is an extraordinary star who has secured a spot for herself in Hollywood by starring in films like Thor: Love and Thunder, Brothers, Anywhere But Here, and Annihilation.
Source: People Magazine
