Natalie Portman Agrees That Her Oscars Protest Wasn’t ‘Brave’
Natalie Portman is making an interesting statement after Rose McGowan accused her of only being an actress “acting the part of someone who cares.”
Rose’s dig came after the #MeToo activist disagreed with people calling Natalie “brave” for supporting female directors at Sunday’s Oscars by wearing a black cape embroidered with the names of several female directors like Greta Gerwig and Lulu Wang who were snubbed for Best Director nominations.
Rose later said she found it “deeply offensive to those of us who actually do the work,” adding, “You ‘A-listers’ could change the world if you’d take a stand instead of being the problem. Yes, you, Natalie. You are the problem. Lip service is the problem.”
Of course, Natalie then retorted in a surprising statement:
“I agree with Ms. McGowan that it is inaccurate to call me ‘brave’ for wearing a garment with women’s names on it,” she said in a statement obtained by People. “Brave is a term I more strongly associate with actions like those of the women who have been testifying against Harvey Weinstein the last few weeks, under incredible pressure.”
“The past few years have seen a blossoming of directing opportunities for women due to the collective efforts of many people who have been calling out the system,” Natalie said. “The gift has been these incredible films. I hope that what was intended as a simple nod to them does not distract from their great achievements.”
She continued: “It is true I’ve only made a few films with women. In my long career, I’ve only gotten the chance to work with female directors a few times – I’ve made shorts, commercials, music videos and features with Marya Cohen, Mira Nair, Rebecca Zlotowski, Anna Rose Holmer, Sofia Coppola, Shirin Neshat and myself. Unfortunately, the unmade films I have tried to make are a ghost history.”
Well said… by both women!