Natalie Portman discusses the brilliance of Meryl Streep
Natalie Portman has built a prolific and successful career having made her breakthrough as a child, bagging roles in both Hollywood blockbusters and independent films. For Portman, it all began at the young age of 12 when she appeared alongside Jean Reno in the classic yet controversial feature Léon: The Professional.
Since that magnetic performance, Portman has starred in numerous excellent movies, such as V for Vendetta and The Other Boleyn Girl. With that, however, her career has also seen some unfortunate lows, notably her appearance in the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, which was panned upon release.
Portman transitioned from sci-fi epics to superhero flicks when she played Jane in the MCU film Thor, followed by its two sequels. One of Portman’s most iconic and acclaimed roles is her rendition of Nina in the psychological horror Black Swan. This intense yet brilliant performance earned the actor the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 83rd Academy Awards ceremony.
Portman has cemented her status in the film industry so well that it’s easy to forget she was once an aspiring actor who was inspired by her predecessors. During a 2010 interview with The Independent, Portman revealed her favourite actor, Meryl Streep, and how she influenced her own output.
With that, screen icon Meryl Streep, also called “the best actress of her generation”, has a five-decade behind her with 71 Academy Award nominations. Streep also has an extremely diverse and terrific range of acting credits, which Portman constantly draws inspiration from. Whether she’s playing the cutthroat editor Miranda in The Devil Wears Prada or the free-spirited Donna in Mamma Mia, the actor wows audiences every time.
In her interview with The Independent, Portman discusses how she avoids being condemned to sex symbol status by avoiding nude scenes. “The good-girl image was something I consciously cultivated after Léon,” the star shared. The interpreted love story between her character and the much older Léon resulted in Portman being sexualised despite being a minor.
Portman then explains why she favours and idolises Streep as an actor when it comes to this issue women in Hollywood face. “You look at Meryl Streep, who is so phenomenally, freakishly gorgeous, and in some ways, it’s just bizarre that she was never a sex symbol,” she explains, emphasising how Streep manages to be beautiful without being reduced to an on-screen beauty. Portman then pinpoints Streep’s power over how she is perceived as that inspiration: “But it was always about her — and now it doesn’t matter that she’s getting older because we just want to continue watching her be an interesting person.”
While talking about Hollywood’s attempt to restrict female stars into shallow categories, Streep once told the BBC: “We have to be made equal”. In 2018, she made a straightforward statement to The Post: “It’s time for women to seize their moment”.
As Portman references the Sophie’s Choice star’s age, Streep appears to utilise this, having been cited as a “timeless champion” for women in the industry due to her extensive experience. This must be the outspoken attitude that attracts Portman to Streep as a fellow woman in this vicious industry.
