Natalie Portman has agreed with Rose McGowan that her Oscars outfit wasn’t "brave".
The 38-year-old actress was slammed by the ‘Charmed’ star over her decision to walk the red carpet in a Dior outfit embroidered with the names of snubbed female directors as Rose insisted the gesture was "deeply offensive" to real campaigners.
Natalie has now responded to the 46-year-old activist’s criticism and admitted she felt it was "inaccurate" to call her "brave".
She said in a statement: "I agree with Ms. McGowan that it is inaccurate to call me ‘brave’ for wearing a garment with women’s names on it.
"Brave is a term I more strongly associate with actions like those of the women who have been testifying against Harvey Weinstein the last few weeks, under incredible pressure."
In her lengthy Facebook post, the ‘Scream’ star pointed out the ‘Black Swan’ actress had little experience of working with female filmmakers but Natalie insisted she had tried to make movies with more women but the projects hadn’t worked out, so she’s vowed to boost her efforts to bring female directors to the forefront.
She added: "The past few years have seen a blossoming of directing opportunities for women due to the collective efforts of many people who have been calling out the system.
"The gift has been these incredible films. I hope that what was intended as a simple nod to them does not distract from their great achievements.
"It is true I’ve only made a few films with women. In my long career, I’ve only gotten the chance to work with female directors a few times – I’ve made shorts, commercials, music videos and features with Marya Cohen, Mira Nair, Rebecca Zlotowski, Anna Rose Holmer, Sofia Coppola, Shirin Neshat and myself.
"Unfortunately, the unmade films I have tried to make are a ghost history.
"As Stacy Smith of USC has well documented, female films have been incredibly hard to get made at studios, or to get independently financed. If these films do get made, women face enormous challenges during the making of them.
"I have had the experience a few times of helping get female directors hired on projects which they were then forced out of because of the conditions they faced at work.
"After they are made, female-directed films face difficulty getting into festivals, getting distribution and getting accolades because of the gatekeepers at every level. So I want to say, I have tried, and I will keep trying. While I have not yet been successful, I am hopeful that we are stepping into a new day."
In her Facebook post, Rose claimed Natalie had been "acting the part of someone who cares".
She wrote: "Some thoughts on Natalie Portman and her Oscar ‘protest’. The kind of protest that gets rave reviews from the mainstream media for its bravery. Brave? No, not by a long shot. More like an actress acting the part of someone who cares.
"I find Portman’s type of activism deeply offensive to those of us who actually do the work. I’m not writing this out of bitterness, I am writing out of disgust."
She went on to highlight the ‘Thor’ actress’ lack of work with female directors in her career.
She wrote: "Natalie, you have worked with two female directors in your very long career – one of them was you. You have a production company that has hired exactly one female director – you.
"There is no law that says you need to hire women, work with women, or support women. By all means, you do you. But I am saying stop pretending you’re some kind of champion for anything other than yourself.
"I am singling you out because you are the latest in a long line of actresses who are acting the part of a woman who cares about other women. Actresses who supposedly stand for women, but in reality do not do much at well.
"Of course women in the world will keep buying the perfumes you promote, the movies you make, and think they’re buying into who you are. But who are you?"
Natalie Portman responds to Rose McGowan criticism
