Natalie Portman has spoken out of her regret in her support of alleged sex offender Roman Polanski saying that her decision to sign a petition in his support was a “mistake”.

The Oscar winning actress signed a petition in 2009 that supported Roman Polanski following accusations of sexual harassment. The film director later pleaded guilty to the charge of ‘Unlawful Sexual Intercourse with a Minor’.

Many stars were behind Polanski in the movement to have him released from Swiss Custody who was being held in relation to the under-age sex case in 1977 that he pleaded guilty to.

Natalie Portman has said “I very much regret it” and that she takes full responsibility for signing something that she has put very little thought into. She said that she has gained empathy for those who have made mistakes as a result and is looking to been more aware of such events in the future.

Portman is now a notable member of the Time’s Up movement that is taking over Hollywood and the world.

Natalie Portman, now 36, has explained that her role in The Professional as a 12 year old and the subsequent roles she was offered as ‘sexy little girls’ was one of the major reasons that she joined the Time’s Up movement.

She continued to discuss her role as a 13 year old girl in Beautiful Girls where a man in his 20s falls in love with her and says how this role ultimately made her uncomfortable. In addition, she said that it is “weird” because many of the stories that are now a part of the Weinstein case “involve people from Beautiful Girls”.

Natalie Portman commented further on the case saying that she was completely unaware that many of the female actresses that she looked up to and was so excited to be working with at the time were also being sexually harassed.

In talking further about the major movement in Hollywood surrounding sexual harassment and assault cases, Portman hit back at those who said “time may be up” for Woody Allen.

Woody Allen has been accused of sexually assaulting his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, when she was just seven years old. The case first arose in 1993 but has recently resurfaced as a result of the #MeToo movement.

Natalie Portman said that we shouldn’t be talking about the fact that a great director can no longer make movies but about that fact that there aren’t more female directors or major female stars who are forever present in Hollywood.