Natalie Portman addressed the double standards women face and said they “are expected to behave” differently “compared to men”.
The Oscar winner, 41, made the comments during a press conference for her latest cinematic project, May December, at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on Sunday.
Sitting alongside her castmates and director, Todd Haynes, at the event, Portman said, as reported by People: “The whole film is so much about performance and the different roles we play in different environments, for different people, for ourselves, even.”
The Thor: Love And Thunder star added that the concept itself was, “something I’m definitely curious about and interested in.”
Using the film festival as an example, the Israeli-American actress added: “This aspect of, even here – the different ways we as women are expected to behave at this festival even compared to men.
“How we’re supposed to look, how we’re supposed to carry ourselves.
“The expectations are different on you all the time and it affects how you behave, whether you’re buying into it, whether you’re rejecting it or whether you’re doing something in between.
“You’re definitely defined by the social structures upon you.”
Set in Savannah, Georgia, May December is built around: “Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple (played by Julianne Moore and Charles Melton), buckles under the pressure when an actress (Portman) arrives to do research for a film about their past,” as per IMDB.
Following the film’s premiere at the festival on Saturday, it received an eight-minute standing ovation, according to Deadline.
The director of the movie, Todd Haynes, who has worked on other past projects such as Carol and Far From Heaven, addressed the crowd at the festival to thank everyone who had helped make the feature.
The outlet reported: “The making of this film was such a joy… we shot it in 23 days in Savannah – it took everybody’s full cooperation to make this possible.”
