In an interview with Vanity Fair France for the magazine’s 10-year anniversary issue, conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Portman argued that “to say that a female director has a particular gaze is reductive of women’s individuality and points of view.”

The Harvard-educated actor also said that gender isn’t a factor when she chooses projects. “Female directors should have the same opportunities as their male counterparts. But the experience of working with a director has to do with the individual and it doesn’t relate to gender,” Portman said.

In “May December” (which she co-produced via her banner MountainA), Portman plays Elizabeth Berry, a famous actress preparing for a role who travels to Savannah to meet Gracie (Julianne Moore), a character loosely inspired by Mary Kay Letourneau. During her stay, Elizabeth develops ambivalent feelings towards Gracie and her 30-something husband Joe, with whom she started having an unlawful relationship when he was 13.

Speaking of Haynes’ non-judgmental approach to the film’s polemical subject, Portman said he “has an in-depth understanding of human behavior. His female characters are complex and multidimensional.”

While she was quoted in May saying that there were “some cringey, to say the least, aspects” to the movie, she told the French mag that she has happy memories of the shoot. “Everyone treated me like a kid and took care of me. Everyday was like my birthday,” Portman said. “Leon: The Professional,” however, didn’t make the cut as part of the tribute to Portman at the Deauville Film Festival last weekend.

Headed by Olivier Bouchara since Sept. 2021, Vanity Fair France has established a strong footprint and DNA in the local media landscape with a mix of celebrity interviews such as Portman, Cate Blanchett, Scarlet Johansson, Michael Douglas and Omar Sy, along with award-winning investigative stories.

The 10-year anniversary cover of Vanity Fair France, featuring Natalie Portman at the Bristol Hotel in Paris: