Natalie Portman Says Method Acting Is 'A Luxury Women Can't Afford'. She's Right.

By Emily Richardson | Film | January 10, 2024 |

By Emily Richardson | Film | January 10, 2024 |

In a new interview with the Wall Street Journal, Natalie Portman talks about her role as a method(ish) actress in May/December. Her character, Elizabeth goes to extreme and exploitative lengths to get into the mind of Gracie (Julianne Moore), the woman she’s preparing to play in a movie.

Natalie says that, unlike Elizabeth, she doesn’t do method acting. Sure, she’ll drastically change her physical appearance for roles (she lost 20 pounds for Black Swan and spent 10 months training for Thor: Love and Thunder), but she’s never gone full Jared Leto. In her opinion, method acting is a “luxury” women can’t afford:

“I’ve gotten very into roles, but I think it’s honestly a luxury that women can’t afford,” she said. “I don’t think that children or partners would be very understanding of, you know, me making everyone call me ‘Jackie Kennedy’ all the time.”

Makes sense. Nearly all the stars that come to mind when I think of “method acting” are men. Jeremy Strong, Jared Leto, Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jim Carrey, Christian Bale, etc. Actresses like Jane Fonda and Ellen Burstyn studied the method technique, but they’re not known for pulling over-the-top stunts like their male counterparts.

The only modern method actress I can think of is Lady Gaga, who didn’t break character the entire time she filmed House of Gucci. I feel as though Gaga got away with going method because, well, she’s Lady Gaga. A+++ superstars at that level tend to be surrounded by worshippers who validate their every move. See: Leo’s Pussy Posse and never-ending rotation of 20-something model girlfriends. Or Jared Leto’s cult.

Nowadays, we get extra eye-rolly when it comes to tales of method acting. Social media eviscerated Jeremy Strong when that New York Times profile revealed he wanted to get sprayed with real tear gas while filming The Trial of the Chicago 7. Later, Jeremy called the backlash his “15 minutes of shame.” But loads of celebs valiantly came to his defence. And now he’s fine. I didn’t think about Jeremy’s behind-the-scene choices at all when I watched the final season of Succession; I just enjoyed his performance.

Could an actress survive that kind of profile? I’m not so sure. Let’s be real, a lot of people hate women. And audiences have a harder time separating the art from the female artist. Men constantly get away with bad behavior, but, for women, even the whisper of a label like “difficult” or “high-maintenance” can tank their careers. So, yes. Natalie Portman is right. In general, method acting is a luxury women just can’t afford. Have fun feasting on raw bison liver, boys!