Alert – Natalie Portman reveals she doesn’t practise method acting because ‘it’s a luxury women can’t afford’

Natalie Portman has revealed why she doesn’t practise method acting in preparation for her upcoming roles. 

The actress, 42, is currently starring in Todd Haynes’ May December is known for her incredible array of parts throughout her film career. 

She shed 20 pounds to play a prima ballerina in Black Swan and spent 10 months bulking up to swing a magic hammer in Thor: Love and Thunder, yet the star has now revealed she doesn’t use method acting to get into role. 

Method acting is a technique which sees actors fully inhabiting the role of a character using an emotion-orientated technique, instead of classical acting which is primarily action based. 

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal Magazine, Natalie explained: ‘I’ve gotten very into roles, but I think it’s honestly a luxury that women can’t afford.

Natalie Portman, 42, has revealed why she doesn’t practise method acting and told Wall Street Journal she believes it is a ‘luxury women can’t afford’

She 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’ (pictured in biographical drama Jackie in 2016) 

‘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.’

Robert De Niro is one of the most famous method actors, after he embarked on 12-hour shifts as a cab driver for his role in Taxi Driver in 1976. 

Yet as Natalie referred to her role as John F Kennedy’s grief stricken wife Jacqueline in the 2016 biographical drama of the same name, she explained she couldn’t bring this role into her family home. 

The star has been married to French dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied since 2012 , but they are now thought to have split – the couple share two children together, Aleph, 12, and Amalia, 6. 

In her latest role in May December, Natalie plays emotional manipulator Elizabeth who is an actor hungry for prestige and acclaim. 

As Elizabeth prepares for her next role—playing Gracie (Julianne Moore), who seduced a 13-year-old when she was 36—Elizabeth goes to unusual and exploitative lengths to understand the woman’s motivations.

Discussing how she used experiences from her own career to play an actress who is researching a role in the new film she explained: ‘There is just a consciousness of all the layers of performance that range from when you actually are playing a role [to] the kind of performance that Elizabeth might need to walk into a barbecue and seem really down-to-earth and friendly and make people comfortable.’

After the Golden Globes on Sunday, Bradley Cooper was mocked by movie fans after he lost out on a prestigious award for Netflix’s Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro, losing out on Best Actor to Oppenheimer’s Cillian Murphy.

While Natalie shed 20 pounds to play a prima ballerina in Black Swan, she explained: ‘I’ve gotten very into roles, but I think it’s [method acting] honestly a luxury that women can’t afford’

In her latest role in May December, Natalie plays emotional manipulator Elizabeth who is an actor hungry for prestige and acclaim (pictured at the premiere in November 2023) 

After the Golden Globes on Sunday, Bradley Cooper was mocked by movie fans after he lost out on a prestigious award for Netflix ‘s Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro

Bradley practised method acting for the role, even staying in character while directing scenes. 

He explained that he has utilised method acting ever since starring alongside Christian Bale in 2018’s American Hustle, revealing: ‘I was playing Lenny throughout his life. I would spend three to six hours in the makeup trailer every day before the crew arrived. 

‘It was hilarious, because on days when I was young Lenny, the energy of the set was faster, and we got more done. And then when I was old Lenny, it had a slower gear. If you ask the crew or cast, Lenny directed the movie.

He added to The Hollywood Reporter: ‘I have hand signals with the sound mixer and the camera operator. I don’t call action. After everything’s set up, I’ll just start talking and bring the actors, and often they don’t know we’re rolling. 

‘And then they’re like, “The scene’s over.” And they’re like, “Huh?” I’m [playing] Lenny Bernstein, so I’m not breaking in and out of character.