Natalie Portman has a “cover interview” in net-a-porter’s in-house magazine, all to promote her role in Guy Ritchie’s Fountain of Youth. Portman hasn’t given many print interviews since her divorce from Benjamin Millepied, and while she doesn’t directly address the collapse of her marriage, she does make some subtle references. Like, she’s still living in Paris most of the time and she plans to maintain a home there, I would assume because Benjamin works in Paris almost exclusively now and they coparent their kids. A big chunk of her interview is about how much she enjoys living in Paris too, and how it’s better for her. Some highlights:
Why she loves Paris: “Even when it’s cold and gray, there’s always some incredible exhibit or concert or dinner party or writers in town; something fascinating and stimulating happening… and the frequent vacations are so clutch!”
She doesn’t buy into the typecasting of Parisians as rude. “I find the people here are actually incredibly friendly – you just have to know how to interact, so that we’re not the ones being rude. Now, when I go back to the US, I’m like, oh, I would go into a store and not say hello to everyone there? It’s weird.”
She admires the French attitude to child-rearing. “All the kids that come to my house are, like, ‘bonjour Madame’ – and give me the bise [cheek-to-cheek kiss]. And before they leave, they are, like, ‘thank you for having me’ – and if I’m not nearby, they’ll come and find me to say it.”
Cultural differences: “I think we have an assumption that western cultures are all the same – and kind of evened out by all this pop culture that everyone consumes. It’s not true: it’s extremely specific here; and the culture is very different in both deep and surface ways.”
Working with Julianne Moore in May-December: “Julie and I had a beautiful, non-dramatic shoot; it’s so nice when your heroes live up to everything that you dream about them.”
Being a child actor: “Listen, I had a really lucky trajectory. I do feel like working as a child was an amazing experience for me – and I was very lucky that I was not harmed. [But] so many kids are harmed. And there are aspects of being publicly known and publicly seen as a kid… that turn you into an adult in a certain way. You become a woman in people’s eyes when you’re on screen.”
Whether #MeToo has made changes to Hollywood: “Yeah, it’s changing but it’s a process… You know, things don’t change overnight, and there’s a backlash, there’s regression, all sorts of things. If anything, our current political moment shows us progress is not a straight line.”
It’s easier to be famous in Paris: “They’re very good at privacy here. I feel like the biggest compliment is ‘elle est très discrète’ [‘she is very discreet’].”
Take a nap if you need it: “My cousin and I always say that Ali Wong quote back to each other: ‘I don’t wanna lean in, I wanna lie down!’ You gotta lie down, you gotta take away everything you don’t have to do and then do nice things for yourself. Whether that means taking a nap – like, literally – or whatever it is. So much of being a woman who’s trying to do it all is just being tired and overwhelmed and not having any time to yourself. So, you have to demand it for yourself – and you have to give it to yourself. If you’re too bent on being a perfect mom, being the perfect wife, being the perfect friend, perfect at your job, you’re going to crumble. Like, the number one thing about being a successful, happy, doing-it-all woman is being pretty cool with… ‘I suck at everything’.”
“You just have to know how to interact, so that we’re not the ones being rude. Now, when I go back to the US, I’m like, oh, I would go into a store and not say hello to everyone there? It’s weird.” Remember that Oprah story from 2013? She said (and I believed her) that a fancy boutique in Switzerland refused to serve her, and that story became part of a larger conversation about how Americans interact with Europeans, especially in shops. I mean, there were several conversations, but I remember the one about “the customer is not always right in Europe”.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Natalie Portman attends the Award ceremony during the 50th Deauville American Film Festival on September 14, 2024 in Deauville, France.,Image: 908151764, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Thomas Floyd/Avalon
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- Natalie Portman attends the Ballon d Or Ceremony at Theatre du Chatelet on October 28, 2024 in Paris, France ( Photo by Federico Pestellini / Panoramic ),Image: 927513614, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Federico Pestellini/Avalon
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- Natalie Portman attends the Ballon d Or Ceremony at Theatre du Chatelet on October 28, 2024 in Paris, France ( Photo by Federico Pestellini / Panoramic ),Image: 927513780, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Federico Pestellini/Avalon
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- Natalie Portman attends the Ballon d Or Ceremony at Theatre du Chatelet on October 28, 2024 in Paris, France ( Photo by Federico Pestellini / Panoramic ),Image: 927513809, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Federico Pestellini/Panoramic/Avalon
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- Paris am 28.Oktober 2024 68. Ballon d Or im Theatre Du Chatelet in Paris PARIS, FRANKREICH v.,li., Schauspielerin Natalie Portman *** Paris on October 28, 2024 68 Ballon d Or at the Theatre Du Chatelet in Paris PARIS, FRANCE v ,li , actress Natalie Portman Copyright:,Image: 927779561, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/HMB Media/Antonio Borga/Avalon
My theory is that Europeans as a collective are nice to those they consider to be good-looking people. I say this as someone born and raised in 4 different European countries.
I honestly just think it’s older, more traditional manners. It’s the same in Latin America, in East Asia. It’s the same in Haiti! You greet someone before you ask for something. There’s an order to an interaction.
Capitalism has just hollowed out everything about North American society.
I am Canadian and when I worked in hospitality, we always knew who the Americans were because they never greeted you. They just asked for what they wanted without so much as a hello. Eventually one of my colleagues and i joked we would not be polite back because “we don’t bend over without foreplay”.
Italian in France.
When you enter in a shop if you want something you must say “bonjour” . Otherwise no one will help you.
When you leave “merci/aurevoir/bonne journée”
It’s basic politeness.
At the beginning I thought it was rude, but now I kinda of appreciate this
Funny, she says that we (meaning we Americans, I think, because to people not living in the US, the cultural differences btw where they live and the US is obvious) think all western cultures are the same and then you immediately start thinking of Switzerland as the exact same as Paris, France without even seemingly realising it. And as ‘europeans’ (more than 40 different countries, dozens of languages and more than 500 millions people) as one culture.
Anyway, she’s totally right, Americans very rarely second guess themselves (“wait was I being rude here?”) and have a tendency to think everyone should just adapt to them wherever they go. And in my personal experience, because they sometimes don’t even realise there are differences they need to adapt to..
I think this is it. I learned something recently which is that in the USA (I don’t know if this is widespread or not), if you enter a restaurant before closing time, they have to serve you and you can stay as long as you like, as long as you enter before closing time.
That really shocked me because pretty much everywhere in Europe, closing time is the time they push everyone out the door and lock the door. You can’t as a customer legally be inside a building one second after closing time.
that isn’t true, you have to leave when the restaurant closes. so, if it tuens 9pm and it’s closing, you gotta go.
And restaurants say to customers, we don’t have time to serve you if you come in before closing.
now, there may be some places hat operate as you describe, but thwy don’t *have* to
Not sure where you heard that but I have absolutely been refused service in a restaurant in the US because it was on the late side (past 9 pm) and they said their kitchen was closed. If the bar is still open, they’ll let you sit down and get a drink but most kitchens stop serving food past a certain hour depending on closing time. I am never offended by this because restaurant employees are people too. They work late and want to go home too just like anyone else.
Please. It entirely depends on where you live in the US. Which state, which county, which town. Just as someone above mentioned the 40 different European countries, with the different languages, etc., we have 50 different state with different cultures, workplace norms & laws (e.g., some Southern towns/counties are still ‘dry’), word usage, etc.
When you live in small towns, anything goes. The stated time on a shop maybe 10A-3P, but if they haven’t seen a customer since 115P, they’re closing up. A pharmacy may close for a 4-day weekend for its employees, never mind if your prescription needs a refill. If we’re sticking with restaurants, my experience is they’ll let you know the kitchen is closed but sure, but you can have a drink.
My overall experience–and I’ve traveled a LOT–is we Americans are gosh-darned friendly, but unfortunately assume everyone is. And they are not. And if you think we’re rude & pushy, you haven’t been swarmed by a bunch of Australian tourists yet. 😉
I’ve heard many Americans saying that the 50 states are as different and diverse as the many different countries in Europe and (sorry) that’s complete bulls#it. This is one country, with the same government, same president, same school system (even if there are some small differences from state to state, the school system as a whole is the same), same media, same federal laws, same culture (of course there are differences from say, North and South of the country, juste like the North of France is very different culturally from the South of France), same language, and I could go on for a long time. This is as diverse as most countries in Europe. Spain has independent governments and even different languages between provinces. German Landers are very different from one another, and this could also go on and on. The US is one country, pretty much same as those, with the particularity that there are a lot of basically empty land so the country is bigger geographically
Must be easy to fit in as a rich, white woman. I can’t help but think a POC would have a harder time moving to Paris and thinking everyone was so nice to them.
Definitely this. Also, speaking the language will of course make it easier to be accepted in a different country from where you grew up.
I’m a thicc Black woman, never had any issues. But I’m also American. I have witnessed firsthand the privilege that comes from being a Black American. People generally assume you have money and aren’t trying to overstay your visa. Paris in general, has long been a friend to and embraced Black American artists and intellectuals “escaping”‘ racism from America. On the other hand, all kinds of nasty assumptions are made about other Black folks based on where they are traveling from. But also very aware of the awful ways some Parisians and French people in general talk about and treat people from their former colonies.
This is a very interesting perspective that I never considered. Thank you for sharing it.
I’m brown and find I can get treated nicely in Europe, but only if I’m well dressed and only when they hear I have a North American accent and not whatever accent they fear I was going to have.
I also agree with other comments that trying to be respectful of their language and culture goes a long way (this should be a no brainer but I have seen some atrocious behaviour from tourists before).
Also Black American (and French speaking). I found Parisians to be quite kind (especially when they heard me speaking in French). But I was visiting my relatives who are African and some of their stories and experiences were pretty harsh.
Josephine Baker is probably the most famous example of a Black American woman finding success in France because she experienced too much racism in the US. I also think of Bessie Coleman, the first Black American woman to get her pilot license. She had to go all the way to France to get her flight training and license because no flight school in the US would allow a black woman to enroll at the time (1920s). Her life was tragically cut short as she died in an air show. I’m sure there are more examples of Black American artists seeking refuge in France.
But as someone who holds dual citizenship with France, I can say that France is not a utopia and people definitely experience racism there too. Especially for people who identify as Muslim or Arab. And I’m not sure Black Americans currently living in France would feel safe if Marine Le Pen were elected. She’s made it to the final 2 rounds in the last two elections.
I agree with Portman. I have never had any issues in Paris or anywhere else for that matter. I’d like to think it’s likely because I’m fairly culturally aware and don’t travel expecting everything to be like America and everyone to be like Americans, lol. I have also witnessed first-hand the loud, rude, clueless, and obnoxious traveling American.
🙂 I once worked in a place where tourists from around the world visited. And I gotta say, Australians surpass the pushy, loud Americans!
That’s twice now, and no-one has agreed yet. I have travelled extensively (Aussie) and you certainly know when the Americans are around.
Oh…the Aussies and the Brits are always very loudly drunk.
Funny enough, there’s never many Americans around in the places I go to.
I found that saying “bonjour” went a really long way in Paris.
Yes, it does. I was in Paris with my then 6 year old. We walked into a bakery to get some treats and I had coached Kiddo to greet to the person behind the counter. So we walked in, I said “Bon jour, Madame” and looked at Kiddo who piped up with “Buenos Dias!” (They were taking Spanish at school). She laughed at Kiddo and in perfect English asked “how can I help you?”
Aww! Thanks for the sweet story!
I have found that if you try to say hello in French or to call them refer to them as mister or miss in French they are more than willing to help you. So try to speak to them with whatever little bit of French you have and they will meet you half way.
Agreed, I tried to speak in French, and adopt as many French habits as I could (dress, meal times, shop). My 2nd time I took my 6 month old and that baby made friends on the street, in the bus, on the train, at the hotel and in restaurants. One Parisian bus boy was making noises and faces to set my son off on a laughing fit, and we made friends like that everywhere.
I have nothing to say about her interview — just here to say that I think Fountain of Youth was such a bad movie. My husband and I rarely bail on a film — but we turned it off after 20 minutes because there wasn’t one nice character in this one. They were all so rude to each other, it was jarring. And the plot was ridiculous — not in a fun, suspend-your-disbelief way. Just ridiculous.
Thanks for taking one for the team, I’ll be sure to skip it.
We were thinking of watching it despite John K. being in it, because I do like Natalie.
I also like what she said about being lucky she wasn’t harmed, acknowledging how terrible some kids have it.
Wait, wasn’t Oprah story about prejudice? I remember from the story that the salesperson was assuming Oprah couldn’t buy their expensive items, because she was a black woman. Anyway, I am sure there are wonderful people in Paris and also bad, rude ones just like everywhere else. Natalie is a rich, beautiful, white woman. She is also highly educated. So, I am not surprised she is getting along with the society there.
I think this is what the American press (and maybe Oprah?) tried to make it but I recall the restaurant’s version being told that they came in and were rude and didn’t listen when they said nothing was available.
Probably a mix of American and also billionaire entitlement clashing with the Parisian culture. And maybe also some racism. It’s that old your version, my version and the truth thing.
But yeah, from experience, North Americans (more so Americans) don’t always approach travel with a curious and open mind and try to just do what they do at home.
@ShazBot, I am not talking about a restaurant. It was a shop selling expensive bags. The salesperson was insisting to show her the cheaper ones even though Oprah asked to look at more expensive one and was denied. I don’t know how that would be turned around to make it about the customer’s entitlement? Those high end shops are notorious for judging people based on their looks. Of course, Oprah being a black woman is a part of the story.
Also, we don’t hear any stories about Oprah being rude to service people. Their story (whoever they are) doesn’t sound true to me.
@sevenblue: I remember that. It was Hermes or Chanel, both of which have particularly snobbish staff & rules. Hermes in particular have a really bizarre system of who they allow to look at what. But as she was Oprah, famous billionaire, I always leaned toward the racism explanation.
@BeanieBean, yeah, we all know that kind of stores. The salesperson looks you up and down to decide if you are worthy 🙄 I didn’t doubt any part of Oprah’s story, because they would do that if you were wearing cheap-looking clothes too. I doubt Oprah would wear non-brand clothes even while shopping. So, why did they assume she couldn’t afford it? The race is the most obvious answer.
I recall they were trying to close the shop for a special event and Oprah went in any way and demanded that they wait on her and wanted to look at the bags stored on the top shelf and the salesclerk told her that nobody ever bought those bags because they were so expensive and tried to show her easier to access stuff that people tended to buy. The salesclerk had no idea who Oprah was, which Oprah couldn’t believe. Oprah attributed everything to racism; the store attributed everything to the woman who pushed her way in as they were trying to close for a special event and demanded to be shown items that would take time & effort to retrieve when they were trying to get her to leave quickly so they could close.
Yes, that’s what I recall too and Switzerland is not Paris. Oprah asked to see a handbag behind glass, she was on her own, and they wouldn’t get it because it was too expensive. They tried to get her to look at less expensive bags. After she asked a third time, she left. I’m certain the color of her skin played into what the employee thought she could afford and who was worth her time.
Yes, the earlier incident was in Paris when Oprah went to the Hermes store 15 minutes after closing. They wouldn’t let her in even though it looked like there were still customers in the store. The store apologized and said they were setting up for a PR event, but who knows?
Stores can be strict with their closing times. Once, I was waiting in line in a sandwich shop in Frankfort. As I got to the counter, they closed for lunch and wouldn’t serve anyone who was still in the store.
I remember this too but if the store was Hermes that’s the whole marketing strategy to make people by the less expensive items before they let you have the expensive item you want
lol okay Eurydice your Frankfort story is where my entitled American side would come out! I’d be like, “stop letting people get in line, don’t make them wait and then just stop serving them!”
@Shazbot – The restaurant situation was Serena Williams at the Paris Olympics.
Oprah apparently has had two expensive ass bag situations. She’s told the story about one (the one where she was taking Gayle King’s daughter to get a birthday gift). Those situations both seemed to be a case of the salesperson not recognizing her (in one case she wasn’t wearing her regular “Oprah” make up) AND them being racist and assuming she could not afford the item she wanted to look at/purchase.
In at least one case, they kept redirecting her to cheaper items that were 10% of the cost of what she wanted.
I’ve also found that if I treat people with basic respect, try to speak a bit of French I’ve not found people in Paris to be rude, at all. Being aware that I’m in another country, with its own customs and culture helped quite a bit, I think. Years ago when I had to travel to various European countries for work, I used to devour the Culture Shock books which gave a nice overview of the nuts and bolts of what to expect, what’s expected of you, how to be a polite visitor and have fun. So I had some general guidelines. I did see some absolutely cringe “ugly American” behavior, from absolute meltdowns over lack of ice (or whatever) or not matching the vibe of where they were – being super loud in restaurants and museums, being presumptuous, self-centered in shops or at markets. More then once when talking to someone during my travels it would come up I was from Boston and they’d be a bit perplexed “I just assumed you were Canadian” because I wasn’t being loud or a jerk.
Lol, I get that, too. But it’s weird thing – we have so many international tourists in Boston and no one expects them to know all about American culture, to be different from who they are and to fit in with our society. We expect them to not know, which is totally normal because travel is about learning and being a host is about accommodating your guests.
And it’s a funny thing about what’s considered polite. One time when family members were visiting from Greece, they commented on how polite Bostonians are. When I asked why they thought that, they said it was because we hold the doors open for the person behind and don’t let it slam in their face. Who knew?
French, Spanish, & German speaking Bostonian here who has experienced the same “you must be Canadian” reaction.
What amazes me is how some Americans think they can visit another country and speak only English and everyone should understand them and speak perfect English back to them but back home in the US, absolutely no accommodations are made for foreign tourists. We don’t offer menus in multiple languages, it’s difficult to exchange currency, sightseeing tours are English only. It’s as if we don’t want the world to visit
OK, first Paris is not France. By far. The rest of France is…nothing like Paris, they all have their own cultures and byways and such. Gods its so boring to always hear Paris, Paris, Paris as if France isn’t an enormous country, rich with various different regions! It’s so much more interesting outside of the Paris bubble…
Second, Paris or France is not “Europe.” There is no way to generalize from Paris, let alone France to other countries in Europe unless it’s about Francophone culture (and Belgians will make it very clear they are nothing like the French, thank you very much).
Bottom line, just be polite, learn as much of the language as you can wherever you are (and that goes for outside of Europe as well!! Obviously) and people will respond accordingly. IT’S NOT THAT HARD. Thanks Natalie for telling us these obvious things!
‘Enormous’? 🤭
I think the definition of “enormous country” gets skewed if you’re from the United States, Canada, Russia, or China (the ones I can think of off the top of my head). France is smaller than Texas for example, so no one in the US would consider France an “enormous” country. But if I were from Ireland, I would think France was big I think.
But I understand the whole “Paris is NOT France.” I’m from New York, not the city. And New York City is NOT New York State lol.
I go to France for work a lot, and have had the pleasure of spending time in multiple cities / towns. You’re right, Paris isn’t France, but in my experience, the basic tenets of what Portman’s talking about here—people being basically friendly and polite, etc.—hold true in the rest of the country.
Um…Natalie was “the other woman” in Benjamin’s life before she became Mrs. (That was the bigger news back then because she was in the Oscar race.)
Bottom line: she knew Benjamin would cheat but thought she was the exception & presume he wouldn’t cheat ON her.
Manner matters, no matter what city, state, or country you are in.
All you have to do is say bonjour (not hello lol) first and they’ll warm up.
I’m not talking about discrimination but basic politeness of course.
I’ve been to Paris twice and never had any issues, but I’m Canadian, always wore a little maple leaf flag pin, and dressed well. Parisiens will look you up and down with disdain if you’re wearing shorts, t-shirt and a baseball cap with a camera slung around your neck. Especially in a restaurant when you ask for a burger and fries.
Everything is more fun when you are rich and famous though
@Kaiser, re: Oprah in Switzerland: “the customer is not always White in Europe”.
Whenever she talks about her lovely life in Paris, I find her a little annoying. But then I realize talking about Paris is probably a way to avoid talking about her divorce, and I should calm down.
When talking about another culture, it’s likely not going to go over well if she says she finds them rude haha. What else can she say? That she’s running with the assumption that those of us who don’t live in Paris might find French people rude is kind of funny though.
I think she’s responding to the stereotype that Parisians are rude in general, but Natalie doesn’t have that experience and part of the reason is that she understands the difference in what constitutes good manners (France vs US[?]) and appreciates the culture. Speaking a bit of French will take you a long way, and beyond bonjour etc, this is the phrase I found most helpful: Excusez-moi de vous déranger… https://context.reverso.net/traduction/francais-anglais/Excusez-moi+de+vous+d%C3%A9ranger
The French and this is true of Paris are pretty good with kids (who are well behaved). They’ll help get your stroller up and down Metro steps, serve your child first so they don’t get hangry in a restaurant, and they love to answer questions based on kids’ curiosity for culture or science.
As stated, do say hi and goodbye in each store/ bakery/ etc you enter and leave. Don’t expect them to say thanks if you hold the door. Show curiosity and respect. Acclimate to a potential lack of AC. They eat slow lunches, for instance, but don’t be a digital nomad and take over a table for hours. Visit some stuff that’s a bit less popular. And be aware that like many tourist hotspots, it can be a lot to welcome millions of tourists to a crowded city.
I realize she’s responding to a stereotype, but I guess reiterating the stereotype is a bit funny to me.
I honestly think she’s talking about Paris to avoid talking about Millepied though. I feel sometimes she shares “ways of behaving” that we already more or less know. I think most people do try their best to acclimate to whichever country they’re visiting. There will always be exceptions but nothing can help those people if they’re going to be deliberately self-absorbed.