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‘He was a true feminist’: Natalie Portman claims late director Mike Nichols was the ‘only older man’ to guide her without being ‘scary’
Natalie Portman says the late Mike Nichols was the only older male mentor she had who wasn’t “scary.”
The actress, 39, was only 19 when she first worked with the late director in a production of The Seagull before starring for him in a film adaptation of Patrick Marber playing Closer in 2004 .
She has since hailed Nichols – who died in 2014 at the age of 83 – as an “authentic feminist” whose perspectives set him apart from other directors of her generation.
Opening: Natalie Portman says the late Mike Nichols was the only older male mentor she had who wasn’t “scary” (pictured together in 2007)
In author Mark Harris’ new book, Mike Nichols: A Life, Natalie says he was “the only older man who mentored me without ever having a scary element in it.”
She added: ‘I think he was a real feminist. There was nothing, nothing, nothing there except that he saw you as a creative, interesting and talented human.
“It’s the rarest and finest quality, and few directors of his generation had it.
Old times: The actress was only 19 when she first worked with the late director in a production of The Seagull (pictured)
Working relationship: She continued to star for him in a film adaptation of Patrick Marber’s play, Closer in 2004 (pictured)
The author recalled how much the famous director was “protective” towards Natalie when it came to shooting a scene in a strip club for Closer.
He wrote: ‘With Portman, Nichols has been careful and protective, especially in the strip club streak, for which at his request he was happy to remove some of the nudity.
“He wants to see my bare ass [even] less than my dad, ”Portman said at the time.
Close: In author Mark Harris’ new book, Mike Nichols: A Life, Natalie says he was “the only older man to frame me without ever having a scary element” (pictured with Nichols and the cast of Closer in 2004)
‘[Nichols] made sure [Portman] was comfortable with angles, costumes and movement, and guided her through the stage until she felt ready.
“What he did for me…” she said. “Lord, can I have this ability to offer that kind of mentoring and guidance to another person.” ‘
The actress has previously admitted that starring in films such as The Professional and Beautiful Girls as a young teenager made her pay more attention to expressing herself “sexually” due to people’s reactions.
She said: ‘I understood very quickly, even at 13, that if I expressed myself sexually I would feel in danger and men would feel entitled to discuss and objectify my body to my great discomfort.
“I felt the need to cover my body and inhibit my expression and my work in order to send my own message to the world that I am a person worthy of safety and respect.
Praise: “I think he was a genuine feminist. There was nothing, nothing, nothing there except that he saw you as a creative, interesting and talented human, ”she said.
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