Natalie Portman’s role in ‘Vox Lux’ is a "dream come true".
The 37-year-old actress portrays Celeste – the survivor of a school shooting who becomes a pop superstar thanks to a song she wrote about the tragedy – in the upcoming film and admitted she’s always wanted to sing on screen.
She told Deadline: "She’s an incredible character and sometimes says nonsense, and sometimes says really insightful things all mixed together.
"It was a childhood dream come true to get to sing, like singing with a brush in front of the mirror, but I wouldn’t categorise this movie as a musical."
Meanwhile, Natalie – who has been a vocal supporter of the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements – thinks equality is still a "challenge" in Hollywood and believes the movie industry still only tells a narrow spectrum of stories, though things are beginning to change.
When asked whether she felt that roles for women had improved since she first entered the business 24 years ago, she said: "I think it’s still really challenging, there’s a lot of tropes that are repeated and revisited.
"Also for women of colour, it’s extremely difficult to be represented.
"However, this year, we saw the first Asian-American female story to be told by a studio in 25 years. (‘Crazy Rich Asians’)
"But white women are the most represented of all the women and it’s a challenging thing to show a full humanity.
"So, I think there’s a lot to be done when it comes to giving more opportunities to other people, and allowing people from all types of experiences to tell their stories."
Natalie Portman fulfilled childhood dream by singing in Vox Lux
