Natalie Portman is a former child actor and a mom of two. She believes that it is remarkable she came out of her early career experiences unscathed. She doesn’t believe kids should be actors but instead focus on childhood activities, such as playing and growing.
Natalie opened up about this on the Variety Awards Circuit podcast. She credits her parents with keeping her safe during those fragile early years. She believes that the industry is changing for the better but still has room for improvement.
Natalie did not sugarcoat her opinion. "I would not encourage young people to go into this,” she stated. “I don't mean ever; I mean as children."
Natalie believes her parents shielded her from the dangers of Hollywood and is incredibly thankful for that. "I feel it was almost an accident of luck that I was not harmed, also combined with very overprotective, wonderful parents,” she explained. "You don't like it when you're a kid, and you're grateful for it when you're an adult."
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While Natalie’s own experiences might have been positive, she has heard “too many bad stories” to feel comfortable allowing her own children to be part of the industry. She shares 12-year-old son Aleph and 6-year-old daughter Amalia with husband Benjamin Millepied. Natalie did concede that the industry has undergone some needed change.
"Having said that, I know all the conversations that we've been having these past few years. It's made people more aware and careful," she mused.
Looking back on her breakout role, Natalie admits to feeling uncomfortable. In Leon: The Professional, she played Mathilda, a young girl who befriends a hitman after her family is murdered. The director, Luc Besson, was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women but was later cleared of the charges.
"It's a movie that's still beloved, and people come up to me about it more than almost anything I've ever made," she stated to The Hollywood Reporter. “And it gave me my career. But it is definitely, when you watch it now, it definitely has some cringey, to say the least, aspects to it. So, yes, it's complicated for me."
At the end of the day, Natalie believes kids should focus on playing, studying, and growing up. “Ultimately, I don’t believe that kids should work. I think kids should play and go to school,” she concluded.
