Natalie Portman is setting the record straight about whether she has committed to method acting for a role before.
During an interview with The Wall Street Journal, published online Monday, the May December star said she makes sure to keep her personal life and the lives of the characters she portrays separated.
“I’ve gotten very into roles, but I think it’s honestly a luxury that women can’t afford,” Portman explained. “I don’t think that children or partners would be very understanding of, you know, me making everyone call me ‘Jackie Kennedy’ all the time.”
The actress has previously said she dove deep to prepare for her role in 2010’s Black Swan, which many assumed was her taking on the immersive acting approach for the film. In the film, Portman plays Nina Sayers, a talented but unstable ballerina on the verge of stardom who is pushed to her breaking point. Her performance also won her an Oscar for best leading actress.
Though Portman had experience with ballet as a child, she reportedly trained several hours a day with a professional dancer before filming began on the Darren Aronofsky-directed movie. She also limited her eating, which caused her to lose 20 pounds of weight.
“I was barely eating, I was working 16 hours a day. I was almost method acting without intending to. I do wonder now how people can do this kind of role when they have a family,” she previously told the Daily Mail. “It was more difficult than anything I’ve ever experienced before. I like to go home and be myself, but with this one I didn’t get the chance. It didn’t leave me.”
Method acting is when an actor aspires to complete emotional identification with a role or character for a project.
