Natalie Portman’s husband Benjamin Millepied was reported to be doing everything in his power to save his marriage earlier on Friday after she allegedly learned that he had had an affair with a younger woman.
And the 41-year-old Oscar winner and the 45-year-old dancer and choreographer were pictured just days before the news broke.
The couple looked as if nothing was amiss in their relationship as they chatted with friends and Portman’s May December director Todd Haynes while in Paris on May 29, following the film’s acclaimed premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
The screen star and her husband were even seen sharing a romantic kiss.
They were dining with Haynes and other friends at the restaurant Georges, and Portman could be seen outdoors as she had a conversation with Haynes, an acclaimed filmmaker known for directing Carol, Far From Heaven and Safe, among other works.
At ease: Natalie Portman (center) and her husband Benjamin Millepied (far left) were seen on May 29 in Paris, just four days before he was reported to have carried on an affair with a 25-year-old woman
Loved-up? The 41-year-old Oscar winner and the 45-year-old dancer and choreographer were even seen sharing a kiss at the dinner, seemingly indicating that things were going well between the two at the time
Millepied’s alleged affair, first reported by the French outlet Voici, was reportedly with a 25-year-old woman, according to Page Six.
A source also confirmed to DailyMail.com that Portman and Millepied are still together.
However, People reported that an insider claimed the alleged affair was ‘short-lived’ and is now ‘over.’
They went on to call it an ‘enormous mistake,’ though they claimed Millepied, 45, was aware of the scale of his alleged transgression and was working to repair the damage with Portman.
Representatives for Portman declined to comment to DailyMail.com. So far, neither she nor Millepied have commented on the recent reports.
During their May 29 social outing, Portman could be seen grinning ear-to-ear while chatting with Haynes as most of the group sipped on wine.
She looked lovely in a pink patterned dress with short sleeves and a maxi skirt, along with chic black cat-eye sunglasses.
Millepied appeared to sit next to his wife at the dining table when it was time to eat, but he was primarily pictured chatting with another woman while Portman was also occupied.
Catching up: During their May 29 social outing, Portman could be seen grinning ear-to-ear while chatting with her May December director Todd Haynes (second to right) as most of the group sipped on wine
Good friends: Haynes, who is openly gay, gave his leading lady an affectionate hug as they reminisced at sunset
On his own: Millepied was primarily pictured chatting with another woman while Portman was also occupied
Staying close: But when it was time for dinner, Millepied was seen sitting to Portman’s side, while she chatted with Haynes on her other side
Haynes, who is openly gay, gave his leading lady an affectionate hug as they reminisced at sunset.
A source previously claimed to Page Six that the two had separated last year before reuniting, though it appears to have been unrelated to his alleged affair with the 25-year-old.
However, her reported discovery of the affair in March of this year has thrown their marriage into turmoil once again.
Complicating matters are photos published in France that show Millepied with the climate activist Camille Étienne, who is 25.
Page Six’s source said Portman and Millepied are ‘trying to work things out’ at he moment.
‘Ben is doing everything he can to get Natalie to forgive him. He loves her and their family,’ they said.
They added that Portman is ‘incredibly private’ about matters involving her marriage.
‘Her biggest focus right now is protecting the kids,’ the source added.
According to Page Six, the problems with Portman and Millepied’s marriage spilled over into the filming of her upcoming film May December.
The film stars Julianne Moore and Riverdale’s Charles Melton as a married couple who were engulfed in scandal years earlier when her relationship to the much-younger man was discovered.
Trouble in paradise? A source previously claimed to Page Six that the two had separated last year before reuniting, though it appears to have been unrelated to his alleged affair with the 25-year-old
Shocking find: Portman allegedly discovered Millepied’s affair in March of this; he is seen chatting with another woman during their dinner outing
Awkward: Complicating matters are photos published in France that show Millepied with the climate activist Camille Étienne, who is 25; he is pictured with an unidentified woman on May 29
Damage control: Page Six’s source said Portman and Millepied are ‘trying to work things out’ at he moment, adding that ‘Ben is doing everything he can to get Natalie to forgive him. He loves her and their family’; he is pictured with an unidentified woman on May 29
Portman plays an actress who comes to visit them in preparation to play Moore’s character in a movie about the controversy, but her dredging up their history threatens to destroy their marriage.
It was reportedly an ‘open secret’ during the 23-day shoot in November 2022 that Portman and her husband were having marital issues.
May December received rapturous reviews after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last month, which reviewers singling out all three leads for praise, but Millepied did not accompany his wife to the high-profile event.
But the two were reportedly still together at the time of the festival, and they seemed to signal that thing were going well in the following days.
They were spotted attending a Beyoncé concert together on May 26 in Paris, and they were subsequently photographed sharing a kiss on May 29 in the same city.
Voici’s report claims that Portman had discovered the alleged affair two months earlier in March.
The publication also published photos that appear to show both Millepied and Étienne walking into his office separately on May 24 — just days ahead of his loved-up displays with Portman — before they both left about ten minutes apart after nearly two hours.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Étienne for comment.
Portman and Millepied met in 2009 on the set of Darren Aronofsky’s psychological horror film Black Swan, which earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Millepied choreographed the ballet-themed film and even danced in it.
Spilling over to her work: According to Page Six, the problems with Portman and Millepied’s marriage spilled over into the filming of her upcoming film May December; seen in September 2022 in Toronto
Interfering with work: It was reportedly an ‘open secret’ that Portman’s marriage was in trouble in November on the set, and Millepied did not attend its successful Cannes Film Festival premiere; still from May December
In his free time: Photos published in France reportedly show Milliepied spending time with the climate activist Camille Étienne, who is 25
New issues? The French outlet Voici reported that Portman had discovered Millepied’s affair in March. It also published photos of Millepied and Étienne entering his office separately on May 24, then leaving 10 minutes apart after two hours; Étienne seen on March 6 in Brussels
The lovebirds got engaged in 2010 were married in 2012 at Big Sur, California. They went on to welcome a son, Aleph, 12, and a daughter, Amalia, six.
Millepied again worked on choreography for Portman’s dark drama Vox Lux in 2018, in which she played a woman who survives a school shooting, only to become a pop star, though a group of terrorists are apparently inspired by one of her music videos years later.
The couple gave no hint of future troubles when Portman posted a photo of them beaming and holding hands in August of last year to celebrate their tenth anniversary.
‘Ten years today @benjaminmillepied, and it keeps getting better…’ she wrote at he time.