Natalie Portman Reveals How Media Sexualized Her At A Young Age

Natalie Portman has opened up about how the media used to sexualize her when she was just 13 years old. She was starring in the 1994 movie "Léon: The Professional" at the time.

"I think, in that time, it was very normal," Portman told The Sunday Times, ETCanada reported. "Some of it was the types of roles that were being written and some of it was the way journalists felt entitled to write about it."

The 41-year-old actress went on to recall one such review, wherein the journalist called her breast "buds."

"I remember reading a review of myself when I was about 13 that mentioned my breast buds," the actress said, adding that she stopped working on projects that included any love scenes after that.

"It was like, I’m not going to be seen that way, because it felt like a vulnerable position and also a less respectable position, in some way, to be characterized like that," she added.

The actress played a powerful superhero in "Thor: Love and Thunder."

"For someone to say, 'Let's see how much strength you can have,' is a completely different psychological space to inhabit," the actress said about her preparation for the role. Portman plays Jane Foster in the Marvel movie.

During the interview, the actress also shared how she marked an "incredible point" in her life while filming for the movie.

"I turned 40 while making the movie and it was an incredible point in my life to say, 'You're going to be the fittest, strongest version of yourself,'" she added.

"Thor: Love and Thunder" was released in theaters on July 8. The flick is helmed by director Taika Waititi and it also stars Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Matt Damon, Chris Pratt, Melissa McCarthy, Pom Klementieff and Sam Neill.

The official trailer of the movie was dropped on May 24 on Twitter.

The first installment of the franchise, titled "Thor," was released in 2011. The second part, "Thor: The Dark World," was dropped in 2013, while "Thor: Ragnarok," which marked the third installment, was released in 2017.

Portman didn't appear in "Thor: Ragnarok" due to her "unexciting" portrayal in the second installment.