Natalie Portman Adds The Oscars To Her Targets While Slamming 'Devastating' ICE

Natalie Portman remains outspoken about her beliefs, especially when it comes to injustice.

The renowned actress recently doubled down on her years-long advocacy for the recognition of female directors in the entertainment industry.

Natalie Portman slammed the Oscars for snubbing talented female directors for the upcoming award ceremony while highlighting the ICE problem in the country.

Besides slamming the Oscars in her new interview, Portman also took a stand against ICE. She attended the Sundance Film Festival to promote her new movie, "The Gallerist," while wearing "ICE Out" and "Be Good" pins. The "Be Good" pin referenced Renée Good, who was killed by ICE earlier this month.

Portman noted in the interview that she was excited to promote her new movie; however, the joy could not overshadow the ongoing ICE problem. She declared that the situation was "quite devastating," calling ICE out for their "brutality" and how they needed to be stopped.

"But also, there's a beautiful community that Americans are showing right now. They're showing up for each other, protecting each other, and fighting for their freedom," Portman added. She claimed it was "a bittersweet moment" to celebrate her new movie while the nation was in pain.

The "Star Wars" made her displeasure known in a recent interview, calling out the Academy Awards for not honoring more female directors in their nomination list for the upcoming ceremony. She argued that their decision was biased as only Chloe Zhao's "Hamnet" made the list.

"So many of the best films I saw this year were made by women. You just see the barriers at every level because so many were not recognized at awards time," Portman told Variety. She claimed many female-directed movies were worth watching, but they never get "the accolades they deserve."

Portman's list of great movies included the 2025 American black comedy-drama "Sorry, Baby," which was written and directed by Eva Victor. The "Left-Handed Girl" drama was co-produced and directed by Shih-Ching Tsou, while "Hedda" was written and directed by Nia DaCosta.

Portman's disappointment in the lack of recognition of talented female directors at the Academy Awards isn't the first time she has put the organization on blast. Six years ago, she protested against the lack of accolades for women directors at the 2020 awards show.

The actress stepped onto the red carpet in a stunning black and gold Dior dress featuring a cape embroidered with the names of snubbed female directors. Vogue covered the story, reporting that the list included Lorene Scafaria, Lulu Wang, Greta Gerwig, and more.

"I wanted to recognise the women who were not recognised for their incredible work this year in a subtle way," Portman said about her cape. Coincidentally, the couture cape was designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri, the first female artistic director of Dior, adding more weight to Portman's message.

Portman's decision to honor snubbed female directors at the 2020 Oscars did not sit right with Rose McGowan. The Italian-American actress and activist slammed her as a "fraud" in a scathing Facebook rant, claiming the cape was part of Portman's act as someone who cares.

McGowan noted that she was disgusted by Portman's actions, arguing that for someone who fought for the recognition of female directors, she barely worked with them. "Natalie, you have worked with two female directors in your very long career- one of them was you," the activist wrote.

Portman accepted the criticism without malice, noting that she agreed with McGowan's stance that her actions weren't "brave." Instead, she praised the Italian-American actress for being among the many women who stood up against Harvey Weinstein despite the backlash.

Three years after she clashed with McGowan, Portman quietly filed for divorce in July 2023 amid rumors of her then-husband's infidelity. A year later, The Blast reported that she and Benjamin Millepied had finalized their separation without any fanfare.

The former couple ended their romance after spending over a decade together and welcoming two children. Their split allegedly stemmed from an affair between Millepied and a young woman named Camille Étienne, but neither of the parties involved confirmed or denied the rumors.

Nonetheless, a source claimed Portman had decided to give Millepied another chance because she believed the "affair was a brief and stupid liaison that means nothing to him." The source noted that Millepied was willing to fight for their marriage, but it ultimately ended in divorce.