Natalie Portman Talks Her ‘May December’ ‘Dream Role’ and Warning Child Actors About Working in Hollywood: ‘It Was ‘Luck That I Was Not Harmed’

Paul Mescal and Natalie Portman are in conversation!

Natalie Portman and Paul Mescal are actors whose craft inspires as much admiration as the finished product on-screen. Portman, whose career now spans more than 30 years, including films like “Black Swan” and “Thor: Love and Thunder,” keeps us enthralled — this time, with her simmering performance in Todd Haynes’ psychodrama “May December.” The Oscar winner portrays an actress preparing to play a tabloid fascination (Julianne Moore), who became romantically involved with her husband (Charles Melton) when he was 13.

A bunch of A-List celebs gathered to honor everyday people who are doing extraordinary things to help the lives of others!

In response to his Golden Globe nomination Monday for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture for May December, Charles Melton starts the conversation with gratitude towards his mother, Sukyong Melton, who he recently deemed his hero in a heartfelt speech while being honored at the Critics Choice Celebration of Black, Latino & AAPI Achievements last week. Though he admits to sleeping through the ceremony and being informed by his team about the nomination, he made sure to call her as soon as he found out. “She was so proud, and I am so happy.” Melton said. 

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The “Barbenheimer” craze continues with Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” being named among AFI Awards 2023 top 10 best films of the year. Netflix led studios with two movies making the list — Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro” and Todd Haynes’ black comedy “May December.” With an eclectic mix of critically acclaimed and consumer friendly titles, the list of top movies also includes films by newcomers (Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction” and Celine Song’s “Past Lives”), veterans (Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” and Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers”) and stylish visionaries (Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” and Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K.

Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series spotlighting the year’s most talked-about scripts continues with the Todd Haynes-directed May December starring Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman and Charles Melton. It made a splash at Cannes this year when the darkly comedic and complex feature, loosely based on the story of Mary Kay Letourneau, was picked up by Netflix in a splashy $11 million rights deal.

Natalie Portman if she was also in the original Star Wars films during The Phantom Menace premiere in 1999.The actor was reflecting on her role as Padmé Amidala in George Lucas’ Star Wars prequel trilogy, which was completed by 2002’s Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith in 2005.The first two original Star Wars films – Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – came out before Portman was born in 1981, while Episode VI: Return of the Jedi was released in 1983.The actor was still only a teenager when she began filming for the prequels, but revealed that King Charles once wondered if she might have been involved in the originals.“I remember Prince Charles, he was then Prince Charles, asked me if I was in the originals,” Portman recalled of the premiere on Watch What Happens Live with host Andy Cohen. “I was like, ‘No, I’m 18!’ But he was very friendly.”The actor appeared on the show alongside Julianne Moore to discuss their new drama May December, when Portman added that while “no one has asked” her, she would also be open to reprising her role of Padmé Amidala.She said that working on the trilogy was “amazing,” adding: “It was the first time I worked digitally.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Natalie Portman appeared on “Watch What Happens Live” to promote her buzzy Netflix drama “May December” and once again told “Star Wars” fans that she is more than open to reprising her role of Padmé Amidala on screen. Portman was just a teenager when she landed a leading role in George Lucas’ “Star Wars” prequel trilogy. Her first entry, “The Phantom Menace,” opened in 1999 when Portman was 18 years old.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for Netflix’s “May December” In Netflix’s “May December,” one of the most memorable scenes features Joe Yoo (played by Charles Melton) arriving at the hotel to deliver a letter from his wife Gracie (Julianne Moore) to actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman). Their encounter leads to a brief yet intense sexual liaison on the floor, culminating in a conspicuous silhouette shot of Joe’s penis. Amid Samy Burch’s narrative brilliance and Todd Haynes’ tantalizing direction, one might imagine Melton — known for his role in The CW’s “Riverdale” — felt immense pressure acting opposite Oscar winner Portman, who also produced the film.

forced to keep her cool when King (then-Prince) Charles mistakenly thought she was in the original “Star Wars” films from the 1970s and ’80s.The Oscar winner, 42, recalled meeting the royal, 75, at the 1999 London premiere of “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” on a recent episode of “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.”Portman recounted the galactic incident on the Bravo chat show, saying: “I remember Prince Charles asked me — he was then Prince Charles — if I was in the originals.”“I was like, ‘I’m 18,'” she joked. “But he was very friendly.”The “May December” star portrayed Padmé Amidala in the space opera prequel.She further described the “amazing” experience shooting the flick, telling Cohen, 55, “It was the first time I had shot digitally.The Long Island native went on: “I don’t think anyone was shooting that way then.

Jordan Moreau The 2024 Independent Spirit Awards nominations, which honor TV and indie films with smaller budgets, were announced Tuesday morning. Joel Kim Booster and Natalie Morales revealed the nominations. “Saturday Night Live” alum Aidy Bryant will host the awards show on Feb.

Charles Melton was honored at the Critics Choice Celebration of Black, Latino & AAPI Achievements and broke accepting his award.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, a day before the National Board of Review will weigh in on its selections for the best films and performances of 2023. They’ll be following the New York Film Critics Circle who kicked off the season last week by crowning Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” as its top choice. Its West Coast counterpart, Los Angeles Film Critics, will drop their choices on Sunday.

Natalie Portman is opening up about how her life has changed since becoming a mom!

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Oscar season begins this week in the Big Apple. The New York Film Critics Circle will be the first major group of film journalists to unveil its winners on Nov. 30.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The Gotham Awards brought the usual array of surprises this year, and it wasn’t only about who walked away with the trophies. Aside from the uproar over Robert De Niro’s speech (which is unlikely to have much bearing on the awards campaign for “Killers of the Flower Moon”), some of the other top contenders gained significant traction leading up to a crucial week ahead.

Natalie Portman is sharing her opinion on child actors in Hollywood.

May December, the title of Todd Haynes’s latest drama, reflects the director’s dance card for the year: having opened in Cannes, the Netflix title has been a festival favorite ever since, and will likely hang in there until voting closes after Christmas. Its two star names, Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, have been getting curious audiences through the doors, but what keeps the film playing in everyone’s minds is the moral maze of questions it poses.

Variety recently. Portman doesn’t regret starting her own acting career in her pre-teen years because her parents were able to watch over her while she was on set.“I feel it was almost an accident of luck that I was not harmed, also combined with very overprotective, wonderful parents,” the “Thor” actress explained.

When Julianne Moore first was approached for May December, a dark dramedy that would have her star opposite Natalie Portman under the direction of frequent collaborator Todd Haynes, she said yes immediately. But only in looking more closely at the material and her Gracie character did she come to understand the complexity of what she’d just signed on for.