‘He was a genuine feminist’: Natalie Portman claims late director Mike Nichols was the ‘only older man’ to mentor her without being ‘creepy’
Natalie Portman says the late Mike Nichols was the only older male mentor she had who wasn’t “creepy”.
The actress, 39, was just 19 when she worked with the late director for the first time in a production of The Seagull before starring for him in a film adaptation of Patrick Marber play Closer in 2004.
She has since hailed Nichols – who died in 2014 aged 83 – as a “genuine feminist” whose outlook set him apart from other directors of his generation.
Opening up: Natalie Portman says the late Mike Nichols was the only older male mentor she had who wasn’t “creepy” (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 there ever being a creepy element in it.”
She added: ‘I think he was a genuine feminist. There was nothing, nothing, nothing there except him seeing you as a creative, interesting, talented human.
‘It is the rarest, finest quality, and not many directors of his generation had it.’
Old times: The actress was just 19 when she worked with the late director for the first time in a production of The Seagull (pictured)
Working relationship: She went on to star for him in a film adaptation of Closer in 2004 (pictured)
The author recalled how “protective” the celebrated director was over Natalie when it came to shooting a scene in a strip club for Closer.
He wrote: ‘With Portman, Nichols was careful and protective, particularly in the strip club sequence, for which, at her request, he was happy to eliminate some of the nudity.
“He wants to see my bare ass [even] less than my father would,” said Portman at the time.
Close: In author Mark Harris’ new book, Mike Nichols: A Life, Natalie says he was “the only older man who mentored me without there ever being a creepy element in it” (pictured with Nichols and the cast of Closer in 2004)
‘[Nichols] made sure [Portman] was comfortable with the angles, the costumes, and the movement, and walked her through the scene until she felt ready.
‘”What he did for me…” she says. “Lord, may I have that ability to offer that kind of mentorship and guidance to one other person.”‘
The actress has previously admitted that starring in movies such as The Professional and Beautiful Girls as a young teenager led to her being more careful about expressing herself “sexually” because of people’s reactions.
She said: ‘I understood very quickly, even as a 13 year old, that if I were to express myself sexually I would feel unsafe and that men would feel entitled to discuss and objectify my body to my great discomfort.
‘I felt the need to cover my body and to inhibit my expression and my work in order to send my own message to the world that I’m someone worth of safety and respect.’
Praise: ‘I think he was a genuine feminist. There was nothing, nothing, nothing there except him seeing you as a creative, interesting, talented human,’ she said.