Actress Natalie Portman Reveals How Hollywood Sexualized her as a Child

Photo by Gage Skidmore

Actress Natalie Portman revealed how she felt ‘sexualized’ by the film industry as a child actress in Hollywood.

Portman said that being cast in sexualized roles as a child made her feel ‘unsafe’ due to, among other things, the attention of unnamed ‘older men.’

Portman made the remarks during an appearance on a Podcast run by former ‘Scrubs’ star Dax Shepard.

As The Daily Wire reports:

“Being sexualized I think took away from my own sexuality because it made me afraid,” she said, as reported by Fox News.

“It’s a complicated thing. You’re told as a girl and a woman that you’re supposed to want that and it’s a good thing people thinking you’re attractive or people thinking you’re sexy or beautiful or precocious, like these words we use around young girls in particular. Then it’s complicated because it doesn’t make you necessarily feel good or always feel safe,” she said.

“It made me feel like the way I could be safe is I’m conservative and I’m serious and you should respect me, and I’m smart,” Portman said. “Whereas [at] that age, you do have your own sexuality and you do have your own desire and you do want to explore things…but you don’t feel safe necessarily when there’s older men interested.”…

Natalie Portman has been open about her experience as a child star ever since the #MeToo movement took the world by storm. Speaking with PEOPLE in 2018, she talked about her experience as a child star being sexualized by people who should have known better.


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Valdez
3 years ago

My ex-wife, Ann Robinson, said that she had the same experiences in her interaction with men. From the 1949 to 1967, she was told that the casting couch was her best way to gain her next role. In 1967, one of her casting agent friends told her to ly back and enjoy it for the role she was auditioning. For 50 years, I supported my ex until she became quite anti-man. At 90, she has plenty of stories of old Hollywood to tell.
Amazingly, her father knew the problems with her acting career back in 1950/1954. Ann was the girl about town and parties. She had more new in print than anyother. In 1952 she got the part in George Pal’s The War of the Worlds than Jack Webb’s Dragnet, and many other TV and files. All along, she was sextualized by Hollywood.

marteremall
marteremall
3 years ago

& that’s why we call them “hollyweird”

FedUp
FedUp
3 years ago

You don’t know how to say NO?? You wanted the money. So YOU have a problem not us

Sue McNulla
Sue McNulla
3 years ago

You allowed that to go on but you were willing to do it for fame! Do not whine now

vickie
vickie
3 years ago

You are kidding me… you people on here commenting “you wanted the role so stop complaining…” Seriously? Do you know ONE CHILD? Do you believe a 5 year old can make those decisions? Even an 11 year old or 16 year old is still not mature enough. Good LORD PEOPLE!! This is why we have the problem we have with our babies and little ones being exploited sexually around the world. People like you make the victim responsible for the horrors of their young lives!
Wait until you find out how long this has gone on and who has been doing it. Where do you think all that kiddyporn comes from? It’s from the people who do this to our young. Grow a pair people and stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.
BTW – many older actors in the past have expressed fears/doubts/concerns that as early as Shirley Temple this sexploitation was going on. That sweet young talented girl was abused as well, and they paid her handsomely as she aged so she wouldn’t out them. It’s how they roll.
WAKE UP!

John
John
3 years ago
Reply to  vickie

You are exactly correct a bunch of perverts and molesters sick rich people and one just stole an election not just limited to hollywood be surprised who on capital hill is involved too

mclarrow2
mclarrow2
3 years ago
Reply to  vickie

No, WAKE UP vickie, we don’t think that a 5 year old or a 11/16 year old can make those decisions. And they don’t. It’s mom and dad who does. Blame them for that.

Tony Winters
Tony Winters
3 years ago

No person, especially a child should as this article puts it “Sexualized.” I get it it happens all to often, but the thing that puzzles me is Why do these people keep going back? There was one Hollywood Actress who told a story about Harvey Weinstein. She said that she and her mother were at a party at Harvey Weinstein’s apartment. During the party he got a bit too friendly with her and she told him that she was not that kind of girl and she and her mother left. At this point I was all for her and commended her actions and condemned Harvey Weinstein. Unfortunately she lost my support in the next paragraph of the story. The next night she and her mother went back to Harvey Weinstein’s apartment for part two of the party where he tried once again to try to take advantage of her. This is the very definition of stupid, where you do the same thing over again and expect different results. I could be wrong but bay going back to Harvey Weinstein’s apartment for the continuation of the party you are saying I changed my mind and that a bit of paddy-cake is OK if I get the part in your next picture.

mclarrow2
mclarrow2
3 years ago
Reply to  Tony Winters

You got it Tony, It all have to do with money.

Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
3 years ago

I enjoyed her performance in “The Professional”

mclarrow2
mclarrow2
3 years ago
Reply to  Bill Clinton

Bill it’s not you is it?

Tom
Tom
3 years ago

I thought Portman was a boy.

CasualObserver
CasualObserver
3 years ago

So what is the news here, coming from willing participants for the sake of fame and fortune?