Natalie Portman reveals she doesn’t practice method acting because ‘it’s a luxury women can’t afford’

Natalie Portman has revealed why she doesn’t practice method acting to prepare for her upcoming roles.

The actress, 42, is currently starring Todd Haynes’ May December is known for her incredible array of roles throughout her film career.

She lost 20 pounds to play a prima ballerina in Black Swan and spent 10 months swinging a magic hammer in Thor: Love and Thunder, but the star has now revealed she doesn’t use method acting to get in to get the role.

Method acting is a technique in which actors completely fulfill the role of a character using an emotion-oriented technique, rather than classical acting which is primarily action-based.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal magazine, Natalie explained: “I’ve gotten very caught up in roles, but I think it’s honestly a luxury that women can’t afford.

She explained: ‘I don’t think children or partners would be very understanding of me, causing everyone to call me ‘Jackie Kennedy’ all the time’ (pictured in biographical drama Jackie in 2016)

“I don’t think children or partners would understand me very much, so everyone would call me ‘Jackie Kennedy’ all the time.”

Robert De Niro is one of the most famous method actors, having worked twelve hours a day as a taxi driver in 1976 for his role in Taxi Driver.

But when Natalie referred to her role as John F Kennedy’s grief-stricken wife Jacqueline in the 2016 biographical drama of the same name, she explained that she couldn’t bring the role into her family home.

The star has been married to French dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied since 2012, but they are now believed to have split. The couple has two children together: Aleph, 12, and Amalia, 6.

In her latest role in May December, Natalie plays emotional manipulator Elizabeth, an actor hungry for prestige and appreciation.

As Elizabeth prepares for her next role – the role of Gracie (Julianne Moore), who seduced a 13-year-old when she was 36 – Elizabeth does her utmost to understand the woman’s motivations.

Discussing how she used experiences from her own career to play an actress researching a role in the new film, she explained, “There’s just an awareness of all the layers of the performance that vary from the moment where you actually play a part (to) the kind of performance that Elizabeth might need to walk into a barbecue and seem very down-to-earth and friendly and put people at ease.”

After the Golden Globes on Sunday, Bradley Cooper was mocked by movie fans after losing out on a prestigious award for Netflix’s Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro and losing out on Best Actor to Oppenheimer’s Cillian Murphy.

While Natalie lost 20 pounds to play a prima ballerina in Black Swan, she explained: ‘I’ve gotten very caught up in roles, but I think it’s honestly a luxury that women can’t afford’

In her latest role in May December, Natalie plays emotional manipulator Elizabeth, an actor hungry for prestige and appreciation (pictured at the November 2023 premiere)

After the Golden Globes on Sunday, Bradley Cooper was mocked by movie fans after losing out on a prestigious award for Netflix’s Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro

Bradley practiced method acting for the role and even stayed in character while directing scenes.

He explained that he has used method acting since starring alongside Christian Bale in 2018’s American Hustle, revealing: ‘I played Lenny his whole life. I spent three to six hours in the makeup trailer every day before the crew arrived.

“It was hilarious because on the days when I was young, Lenny, the energy of the set was faster and we got more done. And when I was the old Lenny, he had a slower gear. If you ask the crew or cast, Lenny directed the film.

He added to The Hollywood Reporter: “I have hand signals with the sound mixer and the cameraman. I’m not calling action. After everything is settled, I just start talking and bring the actors along, and often they don’t know we’re rolling.

“And then they say, ‘The scene is over.’ And they’re like, “Huh?” I (play) Lenny Bernstein, so I don’t break in and out of character.