She’s been working hard at making a name for herself as a director, but just because she’s an Oscar-winning actress that doesn’t mean the transition has been easy.
During a panel discussion on Thursday, as Natalie Portman promoted her directorial feature debut A Tale Of Love And Darkness, she revealed that early on she faced opposition from a legendary star.
The 35-year-old Black Swan actress candidly recalled that the late screen icon Lauren Bacall ‘did not like’ her when she directed the her in the 2008 short film Eve.
‘I must be honest. She did not like me, but I loved her and admired her so much.’
Natalie added, ‘She sensed in me what I learned later about myself … that I had a really hard time saying what I wanted and being the boss.’
Today, the married mom-of-one looks back at her time on set with Bacall as a learning experience.
‘I was not decisive, and she called me out on it and was totally right.’
‘But she was a total pro, despite the fact that she was so unimpressed by me.
She was amazing in every take,’ Natalie said.
The Israeli-born beauty, who also stars in A Tale Of Love And Darkness said ‘It took a few weeks to be comfortable saying ‘I want this,’ and ‘I want that’ this time around.
Natalie’s ‘passion project’ is a period-piece based on the best-selling 2002 memoir by Amos Oz.
The subtitled Hebrew film, which is in theaters now, follows a Jewish family who immigrates to Palestine in the 1940s.
