• News
  • Life
  • TV & Film
  • Beauty
  • Style
  • Home
  • News
    • Celebrity
    • Entertainment
    • Politics
    • Royal Family
  • Life
    • Animals
    • Food & Drink
    • Women's Health
    • Mental Health
    • Sex & Relationships
    • Travel
    • Real Life
  • TV & Film
    • True Crime
    • Documentaries
    • Netflix
    • BBC
    • ITV
    • Tyla Recommends
  • Beauty
    • Hair
    • Make-up
    • Skincare
  • Style
    • Home
    • Fashion
    • Shopping
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
Submit Your Content
Natalie Portman opens up about being sexualised as a child actor as she admits to being ‘scared’ by it

Home> Entertainment> Celebrity

Published 10:56 17 Apr 2025 GMT+1

Natalie Portman opens up about being sexualised as a child actor as she admits to being ‘scared’ by it

The Léon: The Professional star opened up about her coping mechanisms to dealing with being sexualised at such a young age

Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle

Natalie Portman has explained how she 'protected herself' after being sexualised at a shockingly young age as a child star.

The Israeli-American actress first launched onto the acting scene back in 1994 aged just 12 years old with the role that made her a global success in the action-crime flick, Léon: The Professional.

Portman, now 43, went on to star in a number of other blockbuster smash-hits including V for Vendetta, Black Swan and Closer, but has sadly had to battle with a long history of being sexualised both on screen and off - something which shockingly first started when she was a child actor.

Advert

She's since bonded with the likes of 22-year-old Wednesday actress Jenna Ortega over their shared experiences of what growing up in Hollywood was like in an interview published by Interview magazine on Wednesday (16 April).

Natalie Portman has opened up about how she dealt with being sexualised as a child actor (Francois Durand / Stringer / Getty Images)
Natalie Portman has opened up about how she dealt with being sexualised as a child actor (Francois Durand / Stringer / Getty Images)

Portman candidly opened up about what it was like being a child actor, defining that part of her childhood 'a very unusual, unique experience that not a lot of people share'.

She quickly learned about to protect herself against unwanted and inappropriate attention, explaining: "I think there’s a public understanding of me that’s different from who I am.

Advert

"I’ve talked about it a little before - about how, as a kid, I was really sexualised, which I think happens to a lot of young girls who are onscreen."

Admitting she felt 'very scared' by it, Portman noted: "Obviously sexuality is a huge part of being a kid, but I wanted it to be inside of me, not directed towards me."

Portman skyrocketed to fame after her break-out role in Léon: The Professional (Columbia Pictures)
Portman skyrocketed to fame after her break-out role in Léon: The Professional (Columbia Pictures)

Discussing her coping mechanisms to be sexualised at such a young age, the Academy Award winner continued: "And I felt like my way of protecting myself was to be like, 'I’m so serious. I’m so studious. I’m smart, and that’s not the kind of girl you attack'.

Advert

"I was like, if I create this image of myself, I’ll be left alone."

While acknowledging that such mental gymnastics 'shouldn't' have been something she had to even pay any mind to, Portman admitted that her tactics nonetheless 'worked'.

However, such a strategy impacted the way people perceived her as she got older.

Portman discussed her coping mechanisms to be sexualised at such a young age (Ron Galella, Ltd. / Contributor / Getty Images)
Portman discussed her coping mechanisms to be sexualised at such a young age (Ron Galella, Ltd. / Contributor / Getty Images)

Advert

"But I think that’s the disconnect between me being stupid and silly in real life, and people thinking that I’m some really serious bookish person," Portman went on, sharing that she is 'not a particularly private person in real life'.

She explained that, in public, 'it was so clear early on that if you tell people how private you are, your privacy gets respected a lot more'.

Reflecting that the showbiz industry has changed she was a teen with increasingly more women working behind the scenes, Portman highlighted that it's 'still so largely male'.

"But the conversation around [gender equality] has definitely helped a lot," the A-lister continued. "I feel like hair and make-up was always the female space. It’s quite stereotypical, but it’s true.

Advert

"So there was always this pocket on set where, as a kid, I felt safe and surrounded by women, and as I’ve gotten older, it’s only become more and more important for me to work with women."

Portman in V for Vendetta (Warner Bros.)
Portman in V for Vendetta (Warner Bros.)

With that said, however, Portman did note that there is still some major room for improvement.

Explaining the various roles she's taken on in her acting career, she said: "There are definitely tropes, and I think at each phase in my career, there was a different one that I was like, 'Oh, I’ve got to avoid this'."

Referencing Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov's controversial 1955 Lolita novel, a story which follows a much older man's obsession with a girl decades his junior, Portman added: "Obviously there was a long Lolita phase."

After that period of time, the star said she found herself in a long 'chick who helps the guy realise his emotional thing' phase for 'about a decade'.

The Hollywood A-lister won an Oscar for Black Swan (Searchlight Pictures)
The Hollywood A-lister won an Oscar for Black Swan (Searchlight Pictures)

And now, year later, she's now finding herself being approached for roles about 'mothers who have harmed children' but admitted she 'cannot emotionally go there'.

"So yeah, there’s a lot of the same tropes, but those are always helpful for pinpointing when something really special comes through," Portman resolved.

"It really stands out when you get something complex and beautiful and original."

Featured Image Credit: Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images/Mitchell Gerber/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

Topics: Celebrity, TV And Film

Rhiannon Ingle
Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle is a Senior Journalist at Tyla, specialising in TV, film, travel, and culture. A graduate of the University of Manchester with a degree in English Literature, she honed her editorial skills as the Lifestyle Editor of The Mancunian, the UK’s largest student newspaper. With a keen eye for storytelling, Rhiannon brings fresh perspectives to her writing, blending critical insight with an engaging style. Her work captures the intersection of entertainment and real-world experiences.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

a day ago
2 days ago
  • a day ago

    Kim Kardashian explained NSFW reason why she filmed infamous tape with ex Ray J

    The Kardashians star has addressed the 2007 sex tape scandal a number of times since it was first leaked

    Entertainment
  • a day ago

    1000-lb Sisters star Tammy Slaton revealed 'biggest concern' after skin removal surgery as she shows off shocking transformation

    The 38-year-old TLC star has opened up about some of the struggles she's faced throughout her weight loss journey

    Entertainment
  • a day ago

    Lip reader reveals Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s secret conversation during first public date since Super Bowl loss

    It's the first time the couple has been spotted out and about together on a date since February

    Entertainment
  • 2 days ago

    Tammy Slaton's surgeon reveals 'hardest moment' of skin removal surgery process as she shows off dramatic transformation

    The 1000-lb Sisters star showed TLC viewers the results after having 15 pounds of excess skin removed

    Entertainment
  • Aimee Lou Wood reveals ADHD diagnosis ‘with autistic traits’ as she opens up about symptoms as child
  • Molly-Mae admits she’s ‘not been honest’ about Tommy Fury split as she opens up about getting back together
  • What 'demisexual' means as I'm A Celeb's Tulisa opens up about her sexuality
  • Whoopi Goldberg, 68, opens up on ‘going to bed alone’ as she explains why she wants to stay single