Yesterday, we reported about how Rose McGowan, along with other women on social media, had called out Natalie Portman for being a bit disingenuous with her “protest” on Oscar Sunday by wearing an outfit that featured the names of female filmmakers embroidered on the trim. The main reason for Portman getting dragged was because the actress has her own production company and has only hired one female filmmaker (Portman, herself) out of the almost-dozen films that have been produced. Well, the actress has finally spoken out about the controversy and she actually agrees with McGowan and the other critics.
In a statement released by Portman (via Variety), the actress agrees with the naysayers calling her out for not actually being “brave” as others have described. But the actress does explain a bit why she hasn’t worked with female filmmakers in the past.
“I agree with Ms. McGowan that it is inaccurate to call me ‘brave’ for wearing a garment with women’s names on it,” the actress said. “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.”
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Portman went on to talk about how women filmmakers have been getting more opportunities in recent years, but that she hasn’t had much of a chance to actually work with them herself.
“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,” Portman continued. “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. 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.”
She added, “If these films do get made, women face enormous challenges during the making of them. I have had the experience a few times of helping get female directors hired on projects which they were then forced out of because of the conditions they faced at work. After they are made, female-directed films face difficulty getting into festivals, getting distribution and getting accolades because of the gatekeepers at every level. So I want to say, I have tried, and I will keep trying. While I have not yet been successful, I am hopeful that we are stepping into a new day.”
Portman also famously called out the lack of female directors at the 2018 Golden Globes, so her defense of female filmmakers is nothing new. We’ll have to see if the actress does indeed work with more women in the future. Obviously, now she will have a lot of eyes watching to see what her next move is.
