Natalie Portman Regrets Supporting Controversial Film Director Roman Polanski
Celebrities make mistakes. To redeem themselves, they choose to post on social media or go on an apology tour through the press.
In a recent interview, the Star Wars alum revealed that she made one of the biggest mistakes of her career. That mistake was supporting controversial film director Roman Polanski.
Natalie Portman Regrets Supporting Roman Polanski
The Black Swan actress explained that back in 2009, she was convinced to join a movement to help out the Rosemary's Baby director when he was detained in Switzerland.
"I take responsibility for not thinking about it enough. Someone I respected gave it to me and said, 'I signed this. Will you too?' And I was like, 'sure.' It was a mistake. The thing I feel like I gained from it is empathy towards people who have made mistakes. We lived in a different world, and that doesn't excuse anything. But you can have your eyes opened and completely change the way you want to live. My eyes were not open," Portman told BuzzFeed.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Portman signed a petition document demanding the Swiss government to immediately release the director. Among the other celebrities that signed that petition included Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, and Tilda Swinton.
Polanski has been on the run following an arrest warrant issued for an underage sex case that happened in the United States.
Whitewashing Allegations Against 'Annihilation'
In addition to apologizing for her previous support of Polanski, Portman also had to answer questions regarding behind-the-scenes decisions from her latest film Annihilation. While the film features a mostly female ensemble, both Portman and her co-star Jennifer Jason Leigh, have been criticized for portraying characters that were supposed to be identified as women of color.
Yahoo! Entertainment found that Portman's character was supposed to have "Asian heritage" while Leigh's character is supposed to be half-Native American.
"Well, that does sound problematic. But, I'm hearing it here first," Portman told Yahoo! Entertainment.
Natalie Portman's Recent Activities
Meanwhile, Portman has been very active in the public eye. She returned to The Ellen DeGeneres Show to award the talk show host $1,000. DeGeneres correctly guessed that Portman was pregnant with her second daughter, Amalia. She is also extremely interested in returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Dr. Jane Foster.
Portman has also become a strong advocate in the Time's Up movement. She joined Reese Witherspoon, Shondra Rimes, America Ferrera, and Tracee Ellis Ross on CBS Sunday Morning, where Oprah Winfrey interviewed the megastars about the advocacy campaign.
The famed actress talked about the importance of being able to treat men and women equally. She also called out the Hollywood Foreign Press Association during this year's Golden Globe Awards for not having a female nominated for Best Director.
