Portman recalls ‘sexual terrorism’ at age 13
Actress says she was objectified in earliest fan mail
At Saturday’s Women’s March in Los Angeles, Natalie Portman took to the stage, along with fellow actresses Viola Davis, Eva Longoria, Scarlett Johansson and Constance Wu, to share some resonating words with a crowd of thousands.
Portman’s words may have echoed the loudest, when she described experiencing what she referred to as “sexual terrorism” at the age of 13 after the release of her film The Professional. She recalled the pride she felt with the release, and how quickly that was dashed when she began to receive fan mail.
Portman, now 36, said, “I excitedly opened my first fan mail to read a rape fantasy that a man had written me. A countdown was started on my local radio show to my 18th birthday, euphemistically the date that I would be legal to sleep with. Movie reviewers talked about my budding breasts in reviews.”
“I understood very quickly, even as a 13-year-old, that if I were to express myself sexually, I would feel unsafe,” she continued. “And that men would feel entitled to discuss and objectify my body to my great discomfort. So I quickly adjusted my behaviour. I rejected any role that even had a kissing scene and talked about that choice deliberately in interviews. I emphasized how bookish I was and how serious I was. And I cultivated an elegant way of dressing. I built a reputation for basically being prudish, conservative, nerdy, serious, in an attempt to feel that my body was safe and that my voice would be listened to.”
Portman wore a Time’s Up T- shirt at the event on behalf of the legal defence fund countless famous faces coordinated in order to help protect and defend women facing gender bias and sexual misconduct in the workplace.
Hundreds of Women’s Marches took place around the world over the weekend, marking a year since the inaugural March protesting the election of Donald Trump and in an effort to promote equal rights for women.