Aug 5
'12
Natalie Portman & Benjamin Millepied were married in a traditional Jewish ceremony

I’m writing this because I just can’t watch any more of the Roger Federer-Andy Murray gold medal match, which should be over at any moment because Federer is just… my God, what is happening to Federer? He beat Murray at Wimbledon just a few weeks ago and now Federer is just playing like… GAH. Is it simply that everyone in Britain is just Team Murray? Anyway… Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millpied have gotten married. It’s surprising because there have been rumors floating around for more than a year that Benjamin and Natalie were already married in a quiet, secretive ceremony before she even gave birth to baby Aleph last year. So… I guess this is official now.

Mazel tov! Six months after very quietly debuting wedding bands at the 2012 Oscars, Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied exchanged marital vows in a Jewish ceremony at a private home near Big Sur, Calif., Us Weekly can exclusively confirm. The 8pm wedding took place beneath a chuppah–and in the dark! No other details were immediately available.

The Oscar-winning actress, 31, and French-born dancer-choreographer Millepied, 35, are parents to a 13-month-old son, Aleph.

After meeting on the set of 2010′s Black Swan (Millepied was choreographer and had a small role in the film that won Portman a Best Actress Oscar), the stunning couple announced their engagement and pregnancy in December 2010. (A set source told Us it was “seductive to watch” to couple fall fall for one another . . . There was no way the attraction could be missed.)

During her acceptance speech in February 2011, an emotional Portman called Millepied “my beautiful love,” and thanked him for giving her “the most important role of my life [motherhood].” Aleph was born that June.

The couple returned to the Academy Awards in February of this year and, amidst affectionate red carpet shots together, sported apparent wedding bands. Although the resolutely private couple wouldn’t comment, jeweler Jamie Wolf confirmed to Us: “I designed the rings worn by Benjamin Millepied and Natalie Portman . . . They were made with recycled platinum and conflict free diamonds.”

[From Us Weekly]

I love Jewish weddings. I think the traditions are so lovely. I would love to have a wedding with a chuppah and the wine and breaking of the glass and all of that. As for Natalie and Benjamin… it sounds nice. It sounds like they went pretty traditional – her traditions. Because I have no idea what Benjamin is, religion-wise. It’s interesting that there’s still so much confusion as to whether they actually had some kind of wedding ceremony last year too – they might have, you know. This could have been like they’re “real wedding” after a quickie wedding last year.

UPDATE:… And Andy Murrary just won, by the way. Congrats to Andy Murrary, Olympic Gold Medalist.

UPDATE: People Mag confirms – Natalie and Benjamin were married yesterday. I didn’t think you were allowed to have a traditional Jewish wedding on the Sabbath, but apparently it’s allowed. Oh, and Ivanka Trump was at the wedding. WTF?

Photos courtesy of PCN, WENN.

Written by Kaiser

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Posted in Benjamin Millepied, Natalie Portman, Weddings


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99 Responses to “Natalie Portman & Benjamin Millepied were married in a traditional Jewish ceremony”

  1. Sandy says:

    Well, I somehow like Natalie and Benjamin together… all the best to the couple!

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    • kennedy says:

      Sandy, what is it about them that you like? I’m just curious because I have never been a big Portman fan and her awards season run in 2010 confirmed (to me at least) that she’s the mother of all ice queens. He just seems to be there… and that’s about it. Are you a fan of hers? I find it so hard to like her… she seems like she has a a stick up her arse 90% of the time. Take Rachel McAdams or even Amy Adams for instance, they just radiate sweetness. Ugh, I give up.

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      • menlisa says:

        +2 She is so full of herself..

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      • Janet says:

        She’s attractive and talented and intelligent and I absolutely cannot stand her. Every time I see her I want to slap her smug expression off her face. I refuse to watch The Black Swan because she’s in it. She comes across as a world-class bitch.

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      • Canda says:

        @ Janet, sure she’s attractive, but I negate the talented and intelligent part… educated, yes, because she did attend many years of school successfully, but I know many “well-educated” people with Masters and PhDs who are dumb as a bag of hammers. I know a girl who is a DOCTOR who cannot even pluralize her last name properly. And the talented? Natalie has three faces: happy, distraught/sad, and contemplative. I think it was a shame that they gave her an Oscar. She’s an okay actress but this ridiculous hype that surrounds her and her acting skills is WAY overblown.

        I really get the feeling that she has an ego the size of Greenland and KNOWS she’s pretty. Yuck.

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      • Micki says:

        @kennedy
        The kindergarten supervisor of my son radiates sweetness too.And I’ve heard her twice behind a closed door how she radiates let’s say…cayenne pepper.
        So what you radiate is not always what you are.

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    • Carolyn says:

      I like them together as a couple. In regards to Natalie’s acting ability, the best role she’s ever done is in The Professional(with Jean Reno). She was god-awful in the Star Wars movies. She and Hayden wrecked that franchise.

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    • Ranunculus says:

      She sure is smug as hell, also not very intelligent. Educated, maybe, but not intelligent. Her giggles always come across as very weird. I always get some serious conservative vibes from her. Like some rich daughter who was never allowed to play with the street kids, hence her distant and elitist stance. She is not humble and not grounded – which all great artists have. Great art always comes from the people for the people.

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    • Liberty says:

      All I know is that I was visiting a friend in Cincinnati and we happened to have a late lunch at the next table to the one where she sat with Benjamin and the baby. Everyone in the place knew it was them, but gave them space. She seemed totally down to earth, smiling, happy, super nice to the wait staff and a few elderly couples nearby. No makeup, tee and jeans, charming with the baby. As a couple they seemed quite happy and in sync. No bitch face, no ice, no attitude. So from what I saw for an hour one spring day, I would say, congrats.

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  2. Amy says:

    It’s possible that they had a civil wedding ceremony at some point earlier (prior to the Academy Awards) and the religious ceremony followed later on.

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  3. Little Darling says:

    I wonder what he is…it’s interesting to me because I know she is very religious and I thought that would mean that she would have to marry another unless he converted.

    They’re a pretty couple, and I actually saw him in “dancing across borders” and I was very impressed with him. It was nice to see him outside of Natalie.

    I wish them luck!

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    • Julie says:

      isnt natalie an atheist? i guess she is a “cultural jew” but not a religious one.
      so i guess it was picked because they liked a jewish wedding more than lets say a christian wedding not neccessarily because they are firm believers.

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      • UniqJaz says:

        That’s one of things i dont get about natalie Portman. She is soo proud of her jewish religion and feels all blessed when she was pregnant with the baby but in jewish religion is it not a big no-no to have babies before being married, or to do IT before marriage. I cant stand people who pick and choose things from their religion and call themselves proud followers of their religion.

        - I dont think they will last as a couple.

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      • ronnie says:

        So what was she supposed to do when pregnant? Never go back to her religion and is shunned by the Jewish community for not being perfect?

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      • harley says:

        Thank you, ronnie!

        Seriously, how may religions say no to premarital sex and how many people actually follow that? Does that mean that they should be shunned by their faith forever? Give me a f*cking break.

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    • UniqJaz says:

      Not Do IT to begin with if she really was a follower of her religion ! She would avoid that. Like i said people pick and choose what they want about their religion.

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      • Lira says:

        Err… Then she should have changed /abandoned her religion because she got pregnant without being married?
        I am Catholic, but I used contraception and condoms before getting married, I do not go to mass every week, I should confess more often, etc. That makes me a baddish catholic, probably but in no way I am dumping my religion,

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      • UniqJaz says:

        oh my Goddd who is saying dump a religion !!!!!! Im not saying that. I love religion ! Just follow everything according….ughhh forget it. I stand by whatever im saying if you understand it or not !

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      • cape says:

        Lira: No one said anything about abandoning one’s religion. UniqJaz made a valid point – some people customize their religion to fit their lifestyle – and stated that she isn’t a fan of the practice.

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      • UniqJaz says:

        @ Cape Thank Youuu sooo muchhhh ! I really appreciate it ! That’s what i meant !

        With my first comment, Babies are a blessing no matter what, God allowed the baby to happen. It’s a blessing. But i think natalie portman is just happy with all the good that happens through her religion but doesnt follow it really.

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      • Janet says:

        @cape: For many (probably most) people, customizing their religion is the only way they can continue to practice it. Over 90% of American Catholics practice birth control. Their dioceses are well aware of it. If they excommunicated all the “Cafeteria Catholics”, there would be no church left.

        In this case I’m not blaming the Cafeteria Catholics (especially since I’m one of them), I’m blaming the Church. It’s stuck in a time warp back in the 1300s.

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    • Chris: now with 10% less negativity says:

      @ Ronnie: never going back to the religion would be a good start. This conversation is a prime example of how irrelevant religion is. People just pick and choose the bits that suit. If they’re going to do what they want anyway they might as well just do away with it altogether rather than pay lip service to it.

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      • UniqJaz says:

        She has been very vocal about the Importance of her jewish identity and yet she chose to have pre-marital sex and have a baby out of wedlock. She just likes being jewish and not really follow it. Whatever suits her.

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      • Bellabumbum says:

        UniqJaz says:
        She has been very vocal about the Importance of her jewish identity and yet she chose to have pre-marital sex and have a baby out of wedlock. She just likes being jewish and not really follow it. Whatever suits her.

        @ UniqJaz
        Natalie, IS Jewish, it IS her identity. Her family is Jewish and most of them live in the Jewish state of Israel. What is wrong with her “liking” her Jewish identity? Jewishness is also secular in nature; humor, food, arts or education for example. Your comment rubs me the wrong way, I can’t see you making the same statement about a woman of a different religion or culture. Jews are very tightly bound to their identity, it is both a religion and/or a culture. You can be Jewish and live a secular life or a religious life! They are two entirely different things, to not know the difference is dangerous. Just like there are many flavors of Christians in the US and around the world, so too are the Jews in the US and around the globe.

        In the event you have never been exposed to the different religion movements in Judaism, there is the very conservative to the more modern. It is most likely Natalie follows one of the more modern religious traditions. I can venture this guess because she does not wear the modest clothing of one of the conservative movements.

        None of us has the right to judge if someone from another culture or religion is holding up their end of the bargain, especially if we don’t know the rules of the road.

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      • Minimi says:

        wow UniqJaz, are you from the religion patrol? As Janet already said, people are free to choose their religion and since we are rational beings in a modern civilization, we can also have the intelligence to agree or disagree with some points of it.
        Also, it is important for many Jews or
        Jewish descendants to be very vocal about it for obvious historical reasons.
        Not all the religious people have the need (fortunately) to be extremist about it.

        On a bitchy note…do you have a religion? because all that hatred and judgment for someone that doesn’t appear to have committed any real big offense (she had a baby and she married her baby’s father following her religion) is really not OK for most of the religions…

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      • Mauibound says:

        Agreed, but it makes me wonder how many people actually agree 100% with their faiths doctrine? I’ve pretty much given up on the catholic church

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      • Rulla says:

        @Bellabumbum, “Jewish state of israel”??? LOL you need to get off the drugs. Palestine (what you like to refer to as israel) has a rich history of Muslim, Christian and Jewish people. There’s no such thing as a Jeiwsh state of israel. Just because you’re brainwashed, it doesn’t mean the rest of the world is. And no, America is NOT the rest of the world.

        As for portman, she’s a well known zionist who’s a proponent of Palestinian ethnic cleansing. I’ll have to go with not much of a fan.

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  4. Bess says:

    Any guesses as to why Natalie relocated to Los Angeles instead of remaining in NY, where her parents live?

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  5. StrawberryGirl says:

    I can’t get over how much that baby looks exactly like Darren aronofsky and Rachel Weisz son. But who knows it could just be a coincidence. The baby is cute. Congrats on the wedding.

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  6. The Original Denise says:

    Congrats! And the baby is gorgeous!

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  7. brin says:

    Mazel Tov. And congrats to Andy, too.

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  8. Reece says:

    I love weddings esp traditional ones! One friend had a Korean ceremony after her western wedding. She kept trying to stop their parents from throwing pebbles into her dress. I was funny. My other friend had an Indian wedding. 3 whole days of food and fun and more food. I was totally Indian, for 3days! lol

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  9. EscapedConvent says:

    That baby looks like Cynthia Nixon!

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  10. bns says:

    She has a beautiful face and I’ve tried so hard to like her over the years, but I just can’t.

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  11. Mina says:

    Oh, for some reason I thought they had gotten married a long time ago already. *yawn*

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  12. Zoid says:

    Wow, another redhead baby! (Adorable!) question, is it common for babies to be born with red hair when the parents don’t have any (as a temporary color or something?) or is Fassbender secretly impregnating every woman in Hollywood?

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  13. Lisa says:

    Yeah, I had to turn off the Federer-Murray match, too, because it felt like Roger wasn’t even trying. Congratulations to Andy, of course, but I wanted Federer to win!

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  14. the original bellaluna says:

    I hope she has a good pre-nup. Oh, and Mazal tov. And I think baby Aleph is adorable. :)

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    • CC says:

      +1

      I think she has, she doesn’t seem a twinkly-eye imbecile, her Oscars speech was about solidifying sympathy, a Oscar winner that doesnt deny “motherhood and family”. She may profess the motherhood stuff, but I think it was for effect.

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  15. Courtney says:

    maybe someone in one of heir families has red hair or strawberry blonde so Aleph inherited it from that person it’s like Melissa Newman used to have strawberry blonde hair and her son Peter is a redhead and her other son Henry is a sandy blonde. as for the marriage good luck their going to need it hollywood marriages are usually nortoriously short

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  16. Elena says:

    Congratulations! I wish them both happiness, love, respect and friendship!

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  17. Mitch Buchanan Rocks! says:

    Such a talented actress – the oscar for Black Swan was well deserved she was very convincing.

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  18. Mrs. Ari Gold says:

    I love that they got married in the dark! Natalie trumps the paparazzi again!

    I’m sure they had candles etc. but it must have made it hard for the paps to get a good photo or to even know it was happening! Yay Natalie!

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  19. Ally says:

    That’s sweet news, they look good together and he hasn’t used her fame as yet, as many thought he would.

    Re- the tennis. I think Roger was exhausted after his semi final, he’s getting on a bit in tennis years. Also, I wouldn’t want to compete against a Brit in the Olympics right now and I’m a Brit. We’re all Olympic crazy here, the atmosphere and the support for Team GB is amazing, loving it.

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  20. Jackie O says:

    i find him so attractive, even with the somewhat douche vibe.

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  21. lafairy says:

    they took time to wed because he needed to convert to her religion, Benjamin is initially a Catholic, from a catholic family so they married under HER traditions not his.

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    • Stephanie says:

      For the record, in traditional Judaism, religion is matrilineal. You are a Jew because your mother is Jewish. Your father’s religion is irrelevant. Reform Judaism says you are Jewish as long as one parent is Jewish – and it can be the father. Many rabbis refuse to officiate at weddings between Jews and gentiles. Not defending the practice! Simply pointing out that Benjamin M’s religion may have been irrelevant.

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      • lafairy says:

        I actually (like I suppose anyone) already knew that.

        But a lot of rabbis “prefer” to mary 2 jews and you are in the case of Natalie as much attached to a traditional view of judaism, you want to mary a jewish man.
        (example: Rashida Jones who is a very close friend with Natalie and who is super committed to a traditional judaïsm once said that besides finding marriage super difficult to achieve and for anyone to find the perfect catch for her there is an extra difficulty: she cannot imagine not marrying a jew!)

        So technically your point is absoluetly correct but unfortunatly human beings in general try to make everything way more complicated!

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  22. Jordan says:

    Cute baby, congrats to the couple. It’s nice that they kept it quiet. They don’t seem to use their relationship to get press like other engaged couples do, so good for them.

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  23. RHONYC says:

    1st time seeing that baby…GORGEOUS!!! you know i love dem reds, lol.

    totally agree with the Jewish weddings comment. the 1st one i ever saw
    (don’t laugh) was Charlotte marrying Harry on SATC, remember?
    Anthony said, ” You’re Audrey Hepburn… owitz!” :lol:

    i thought all of the traditional wedding rituals were really lovely.

    although i never got into the Star Wars tril…i’ve loved her since ‘The Professional’.

    congrats to Black Swan & her Prince in shining ‘tutu’?

    btw- i can totally see Ivanka being friends with Nat…they’re both super sassy braniacs. ;-)

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    • Lira says:

      Another reason: Ivanka’s husband is from a prominent NY Jewish family. She also converted to Judaism to marry him.

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      • Mrs. Ari Gold says:

        If she is really friends with Ivanka then I think I’m gonna barf. Ivanka is gross – hopefully it’s because of some other reason like they care about the same charity or Natalie is actually friends with Ivanka’s husband or something…

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    • RHONYC says:

      @ Mrs. Ari Gold

      i think that Ivanka, Ivana & the Trumps in general kick a*s. i love the fact that with all that education & $$$ she rocks that hard a*s NYC accent. it makes me laugh. :lol: i know some peeps think they are gaudy & gauche…but the truth of it is ‘those’ ppl would’nt know such things if it bit them in the arse. jussayin. ;-)

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  24. jn says:

    Cute and beautiful, but terrible actress.

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  25. Lira says:

    Funny how now noone remember how his girlfriend was also blindsided by their relationship, and had to move out or something like that… I don’t dislike Natalie, and he was the one who was in a live-in relationship but he probably jumped at the chance of being with NP.
    Do you remmeber how she was laughing and saying that he wanted to have sex with her or something at the GG awards?

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  26. Amanda_M87 says:

    I thought these two already got married like six months ago. Oh well, congrats anyway.

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  27. claire says:

    such a meh couple. but, congrats!

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  28. tripmom says:

    Re: getting married on the Sabbath… The Sabbath officially begins at sundown on Friday night and ends at sundown on Saturday night. If they got married in the dark then it was after sundown, and no longer the Sabbath, so it’s all kosher, if you’ll excuse the pun.

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  29. epiphany says:

    You’re right, weddings cannot take place on the sabbath. The Jewish sabbath runs from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday; the sun had set by that time on Saturday night, therefore, sabbath was over. Natalie has always been very vocal about the importance of her Jewish identity – not surprised she wanted a religious service.

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  30. Shannon1972 says:

    Yes, I’ve been to many Saturday night weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs. It is actually the most expensive night to have an “affair” (as we call them here), and always formal dress. Not unusual at all.

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  31. Anna says:

    Congrats for the couple and maybe it’s just me and my fascination with french men -Especially with this year with Jean Dujardin ;P and the French swimming team with Agnel, Manaudou, Maillet, Levresque and Bernard- but I found Millipied sexy – Please, don’t judge me LOL

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  32. harley says:

    I haven’t read through all the comments, but Sabbath/Shabbat ends at sundown. So, if the wedding was after sundown, (as many Jewish weddings are) then it didn’t conflict with Sabbath.

    That said, mazel tov to the newlyweds!

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  33. lucy2 says:

    Congrats to them!
    Their little one is adorable.

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  34. blasted1 says:

    Well, I’ve been a major Portman fan for years and years. I see her as a major acting talent and an Audrey Hepburn kind of classy beauty. I hope everything goes well with her, but I wonder how much of a strain the fame and the financial difference between Millepied and her will make as time passes.

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  35. Az says:

    Ivanka Trump was probably there because of her husband, who is Jewish as is she because she converted in order to marry him. He and Natalie – or their families – probably run in the same circles in NYC.

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  36. midnightmoon says:

    Her smile is getting weird. Whut is up with that?

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  37. C says:

    I don’t get how people can say with such certainty–at this stage–that the baby is a dead ringer for Natalie’s dad. None of the features on that child are developed yet. The red hair is the only similarity. If anything, a baby’s eyes and facial expressions will bear the most semblance to other family members. I, for one, don’t see the likeness. It might get easier to tell who little Aleph really does take after once he’s a bit bigger.

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  38. Debra Johnson says:

    congrats to the couple. Everthing seems to be falling into place for Natalie! I think-thought Mila and Natlie are very close friends. if so why did Mila agree to go to Bali during this very important event? Just wondering.

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  39. Mouse says:

    I enjoy watching her act, but I can’t stand the persona she gives off when off-screen. She gives off a pretentious vibe, he gives off a douche vibe, Aleph is adorable and soooooo Aronofsky’s baby.

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