Natalie Portman has called out the double standards of how women ‘are expected to behave’ differently ‘compared to men’ during a press conference at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on Sunday.
The Oscar winner, 41, who recently stunned in recreation of an iconic Dior gown during the annual festivities, got candid during a press conference for her project, May December, which premiered at the festival on Saturday.
As she was joined by fellow castmates and director, Todd Haynes, she expressed, per People, ‘The whole film is so much about performance and the different roles we play in different environments, for different people, for ourselves, even.’
The Black Swan actress added that the concept itself was ‘something I’m definitely curious about and interested in.’
The star then used the festival as an example, stating, ‘This aspect of, even here — the different ways we as women are expected to behave at this festival even compared to men.’
Speaking out: Natalie Portman has called out the double standards of how women ‘are expected to behave’ differently ‘compared to men’ during a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday; seen on Friday at Cannes
‘How we’re supposed to look, how we’re supposed to carry ourselves,’ the Thor: Love And Thunder actress further added.
‘The expectations are different on you all the time and it affects how you behave, whether you’re buying into it, whether you’re rejecting it or whether you’re doing something in between. You’re definitely defined by the social structures upon you.’
Natalie later gushed about having the chance to have a role in the film, and said, ‘It’s incredible to get to be part of a film like this, which has two complex women characters who are full of delicious conflicts,’ per Variety.
Alongside Portman, other stars that were cast in the project include Julianne Moore and Riverdale actor, Charles Melton.
The premise takes place, ‘Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple (played by Julianne and Charles), buckles under the pressure when an actress (Natalie) arrives to do research for a film about their past,’ according to an IMDB synopsis.
The Still Alice actress opened up about the 20-year age gap portrayed in the film, where she portrayed a woman who fell in love with Melton’s character, who was 13-years-old at the time.
‘An age gap is one thing, but a relationship between an adult and a child is a different thing entirely,’ Julianne explained, reported the outlet. ‘When is age inappropriate?’
‘It’s when people are in different places developmentally, when someone is not an adult. This is why we have boundaries around that. The reason why this movie feels so dangerous watching it is because people don’t know where anyone’s boundaries are. It feels scary.’
‘Expectations’: While discussing her film May December at a press conference, the star stated, ‘This aspect of, even here — the different ways we as women are expected to behave at this festival even compared to men’
Star-studded cast: Alongside Portman, other stars that were cast in the project include Julianne Moore and Riverdale actor, Charles Melton; seen on Sunday
Premise: Moore and Melton portray a married couple who appeared in past tabloids due to their 20-year age gap, while Natalie portrays an actress doing research to play Julianne’s character
The audience embraced May December after its screening on Saturday, and the film received an eight-minute standing ovation, per Deadline.
The director of the movie, Todd Haynes, who has worked on other past projects such as Carol and Far From Heaven, addressed the crowd at the festival.
‘The making of this film was such a joy…we shot it in 23 days in Savannah — it took everybody’s full cooperation to make this possible,’ he stated, according to the publication.
Along with her film garnering critical acclaim, the mother of two has also stunned on the glamorous red carpet throughout the course of the Cannes Film Festival thus far.
She wore a strapless, sparkling gown that contained various hues of blue as she attended the screening of The Zone Of Interest on Friday, and later but on a show-stopping display during the premiere of May December.
Natalie was breathtaking as she wore a recreation of an iconic Dior gown that was strapless and contained layers of petaled fabric with sparkling embellishments. Her locks were swept up into a low bun and revealed a pair of teardrop, diamond earrings.
Although the annual Cannes Film Festival comes to an end later this month on May 27, Natalie has been working hard on a variety of projects, such as her newly released documentary titled, Angel City.
Positive reception: The audience embraced May December after its screening on Saturday, and the film received an eight-minute standing ovation, per Deadline
Show-stopping: Natalie was breathtaking as she wore a recreation of an iconic Dior gown that was strapless and contained layers of petaled fabric with sparkling embellishments
In the world of sports: Natalie has been working hard on a variety of projects, such as her newly released documentary titled, Angel City; seen earlier this month in West Hollywood
The three-part series, which can be streamed on HBO Max, follows Portman, who co-founded and launched a professional women’s soccer team that is based in Los Angeles.
‘It’s important to me that, when I see in the stadium all these children, all genders, looking up to our female athletes, it just feels like culture change,’ she recently told CBS News.
During an interview with GQ that was published earlier Friday, Natalie also teased about her willingness to return to the Star Wars franchise to reprise her role of Padme.
In response to a fan question in regards to the possibility, the actress admitted, ‘I have no information on this. No one’s ever asked me to return, but I’m open to it.’