Natalie Portman Says Being Sexualized as a Child Star Led Her to Create a 'Good Girl' Persona as a 'Safety Mechanism'

Natalie Portman revealed that being sexualized as a child star pushed her to cultivate a carefully crafted public image.

The Oscar-winning actress said she deliberately presented herself as a serious, studious "good girl" to protect herself from unwanted attention.

Portman began her acting career at a young age.

As she grew up in Hollywood, she and her parents made an effort to separate her onscreen roles from her real-life identity.

Rather than embrace the provocative image associated with some of her early performances, Portman focused on her education and wore conservative, age-appropriate outfits at public events.

"I think there was a conscious effort, because I was depicted as this sexualized Lolita, that I wanted to be like, 'No, I'm serious, I'm a good girl, I'm a prude, I'm smart, I'm a student,' emphasizing that as almost a safety mechanism," she recently said in an interview.

The serious reputation the actress developed early in her career continued to shape how others perceived her personality.

"But then, over time, it became like everyone thinks I'm really serious," she shared.

Portman added, "I'm very silly, and I love to laugh more than anything, and I love to goof off. People always think I'm a perfectionist, I think, because of 'Black Swan.' I'm the opposite. I'm forgiving with myself. In college, we had a phrase: 'Done, not good.'"

After years of taking on emotionally demanding roles and exploring darker themes, Portman wants to try something new.

"Right now, it's a lot of joy," she detailed about her present-day career.

"I think it's both for myself and what I hope to offer an audience, because it just feels... I mean, every time has dark moments, but it feels like there's a lot of really heavy stuff going on. It's just ever-present in our face, and so it does feel like the biggest service you can do right now as an artist is to deliver some joy," the Thor star continued.

Portman is also embracing a new chapter in her personal life after recently welcoming her third child with partner Tanguy Destable.

The actress also shares two children, Aleph and Amalia, with her ex-husband, Benjamin Millepied.