Natalie Portman breaks her silence on being sexualised as a child star in Léon

Natalie Portman has recently weighed in on being “sexualised” as a child star because of her “cringy” role in Léon: The Professional in the US.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Portman shared her views on the movie, which she described as “complicated”.

“It’s a movie that’s still beloved, and people come up to me about it more than almost anything I’ve ever made, and it gave me my career,” said the 41-year-old.

However, the Black Swan star stated, “It is definitely, when you watch it now, it definitely has some cringey, to say the least, aspects to it.”

“So, yes, it’s complicated for me,” remarked the Thor actress.

Addressing allegations of sexual abused against director Luc Besson, Portman responded, “It’s devastating.”

“I really didn’t know. I was a kid working. I was a kid. But I don’t want to say anything that would invalidate anyone’s experience,” she added.

Back in 2020, the Atonement actress revealed that she “built fortresses” around her to “protect” herself from “the media” after being labelled as a “Lolita figure”.

Portman confessed, “Being sexualised as a child, I think, took away from my own sexuality because it made me afraid.”

“It made me feel like the way I can be safe is to be like, ‘I’m conservative, and I’m serious, and you should respect me, and I’m smart and don’t look at me that way’,” she concluded.