Natalie Portman paid homage to female directors, but reportedly won’t hire them

Drama is looming in the wake of the 92nd Academy Awards, and it’s brewing around Natalie Portman’s bold fashion statement at the event. The Oscar-winning actress made rounds immediately after she hit the Oscars red carpet on Monday thanks to her custom Dior cape. It featured the names of snubbed female directors embroidered on it as a “subtle” nod to the controversy surrounding the Academy’s lack of inclusivity when it comes to gender diversity.

“I wanted to recognize the women who were not recognized for their incredible work this year in my subtle way,” the actress told Los Angeles Times reporter Amy Kaufman. Her cape included names of Greta Gerwig (Little Women), Lorene Scafaria (Hustlers), Lulu Wang (The Farewell) and more. All of which were not given nods for Best Director with most being completely ignored by the Academy completely.

Although it was initially well-received by many who praised Portman for making quite the statement at the awards show, the actress has landed herself in hot water with many now calling her a “hypocrite.”

One Twitter user took to the social media platform to point out that Handsomecharlie Films — the film production company owned by Portman — has only ever hired one female director despite successfully producing eight films. Guess who it is: the actress herself.

“i wonder if this means her production company will finally produce a film with a female director,” user OhMyMithrandir wrote in a Tweet as a response to Portman’s cape.

Other users pointed out that the directors Handsomecharlie Films worked with were mostly white men. But all the films center a prominent female character with Portman attached in roles of seven of the movies so far.

Samantha Rigby
Samantha Rigby
Samantha is the head of content, lifestyle and entrepreneurial columnist for Best in Australia. She is also a contributor to Forbes and SH. Prior to joining the Best in Au, she was a reporter and business journalist for local newspapers.
Share this

PEOPLE ARE READING NOW