"The Long Lolita Phase": Natalie Portman talks about sexualization in childhood during filming in Hollywood
Kyiv • UNN
Actress Natalie Portman recalled how she experienced sexual objectification in Hollywood as a child, when she was only 12 years old. She learned to protect herself from predators by demonstrating seriousness.
Hollywood actress Natalie Portman recalled how she experienced sexualization by the industry as a child, which she called a "long Lolita phase". This is reported by Variety, writes UNN.
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Natalie Portman told Jenny Ortega during a discussion for Interview magazine that she experienced a "long Lolita phase" as a child actress, referring to how the industry sexualized her at a young age. According to the media, she was only 12 years old when she starred in her breakthrough role in "Leon." The actress has long been outspoken about Hollywood's sexualization of child stars.
"There's a public understanding of me that's different from who I am," Portman said. "I've talked a little bit about it before - about how I was really sexualized as a child, which I think happens to a lot of young girls who appear on screen. I was very scared by that. Obviously, sexuality is a huge part of who you are as a child, but I wanted it to be inside me, not directed at me."
She also noted that the industry often imposes certain images on young actresses, and she herself went through several such "phases": from the image of Lolita to "a girl who helps a guy realize his emotional problems."
Last year, in an episode of the Smartless podcast, Portman revealed that at a young age, she learned to put on a cool facade on set to avoid sexualization by potential predators in the industry.
"Such a projection of seriousness protected me to some extent," she said. "It was almost a warning sign, like, "Oh, don't do anything bad to her." Not that anyone ever, you know, deserved or asked for it. But I felt like it was my unconscious way of doing it."
Portman added that her mother was always around and made sure no one approached her when she was working as a child. Then, "when I went to college, my dad said, "Okay, that was cute. It's time to move on. Let's find another job - a real job." She studied psychology at Harvard University, but never completely left her acting career.
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