Ardent vegan Natalie Portman reveals she doesn’t buy clothes, repairs her handbags, uses electric car share and holidays by train in bid to combat climate change
As one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, it would be easy to become accustomed to a luxury lifestyle of private jets and high end fashion.
But it’s a frugal life for Natalie Portman who repairs her clothes, tries to holiday by train and uses a car-share app in a bid to combat climate change.
The actress and fervent activist, 41, also said libraries play a ‘big role’ in her family as it allows them to get joy from ‘sharing and not owning’.
‘My veganism is in large part an environmental choice, along with animal welfare,’ she told Hollywood Reporter.
‘I haven’t bought or used any leather or fur or animal products in 20 years.’
Activist: it’s a frugal life for Natalie Portman who repairs her clothes, tries to holiday by train and uses a car-share app in a bid to combat climate change
Natalie continued: ‘I use a car-share app that is all electric cars. I buy vintage clothes, and only if absolutely necessary, and of course repair damaged items, most recently a handbag, rather than buy a new one.
‘When we travel, we try to organise our trips to places we can go by train; or if we have to fly, to stay long enough to justify the travel.
‘The library plays a big role in the family consciousness as well — a place where we can get joy and greater selection by sharing and not owning. It’s a process, and clearly imperfect, but the consciousness is there.’
The Black Swan actress has two children, son Aleph, 11, and daughter Amalia, six, with her husband, choreographer Benjamin Millepied.
She previously co-produced Eating Animals, a film about factory farming in the US, and launched a vegan-friendly footwear line.
The Israeli-American star is also an ardent social justice campaigner and was one of the founding members of the now defunct Time’s Up movement in 2018.
She said its dissipation was ‘really, really heartbreaking’ and said she finds it ‘painful’ that it no longer exists.
‘I think a lot of people made mistakes, but mistakes are deadly for activism,’ she said.
‘You have to be so perfect in order to demand the change that you want to see, and I don’t know, maybe acknowledging all our imperfection as humans and saying that people can do something wrong and also be good at something else, having a little bit more shades of gray might actually let us get to more progress.’
Frugal: The actress and fervent activist, 41, also said libraries play a ‘big role’ in her family as it allows them to get joy from ‘sharing and not owning’
Natalie’s break out role was in Luc Besson’s film, Léon: The Professional, aged X. She said it was ‘devastating’ to hear allegations of sexual abuse had been levelled against him.
She also said she has a ‘complicated’ relationship with the 1994 film which sees her character, 12-year-old Mathilda, taken under the wing of a professional assassin.
‘It’s a movie that’s still beloved, and people come up to me about it more than almost anything I’ve ever made, and it gave me my career,’ she said.
‘But it is definitely, when you watch it now, it definitely has some cringey, to say the least, aspects to it. So, yes, it’s complicated for me.’
She will next star in Todd Haynes’ Cannes premiere May/December.
One to watch: She previously co-produced Eating Animals, a film about factory farming in the US, and launched a vegan-friendly footwear line
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