A-list Oscar winner says she doesn’t regret fleeing Hollywood for ‘friendlier’ confines of Paris
A number of celebrities have fled Hollywood for other locales in recent years, and one major star in that group is explaining why they stand behind that decision.
Among those to uproot themselves from sunny Southern California in search of lower taxes, less crime and other factors include Eva Longoria, Sophie Turner, Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling, among others.
Natalie Portman is the Academy Award-winning actress who’s doubling down on her decision to relocate abroad nine years back, to Paris.
The Jerusalem, Israel-born star, 43, speaking with Net-a-Porter, explained the cultural differences she said spurred her to come to said conclusion.
‘I find the people here are actually incredibly friendly – you just have to know how to interact, so that we’re not the ones being rude,’ said Portman.
The May December star added: ‘Now, when I go back to the U.S., I’m like, “Oh,” I would go into a store and not say hello to everyone there? It’s weird.’
A number of celebrities have fled Hollywood for other locales in recent years, and another major star in that group is explaining why they stand behind that decision
Natalie Portman, 43, is the Academy Award-winning actress who is saying she prefers her decision to relocate abroad nine years back. Pictured in NYC last year
Portman said that she thinks people ‘have an assumption that Western cultures are all the same, and kind of evened out by all this pop culture that everyone consumes.
She added that she felt the sentiment to be ‘not true.’
The star told the publication of Parisian culture: ‘It’s extremely specific here, and the culture is very different in both deep and surface ways.’
The Lady in the Lake actress explained: ‘All the kids that come to my house are, like, “Bonjour Madame,” and give me the bise,’ referring to a cheek-to-cheek kiss.
Portman added that ‘before they leave, they are, like, “Thank you for having me,” and if I’m not nearby, they’ll come and find me to say it.’
Portman said she preferred how the people in Paris approached her status as a famous person, in giving her space.
‘They’re very good at privacy here,’ she said.
Portman, who graduated from Harvard with a psychology degree, added: ‘I feel like the biggest compliment is ‘elle est très discrète.’
Portman, pictured in her native Paris last fall, said, ‘I find the people here are actually incredibly friendly – you just have to know how to interact, so that we’re not the ones being rude’
A giant French flag hangs from the Eiffel Tower as part of commemorative ceremonies marking the end of World War II in Europe in Paris, on May 8
The Black Swan actress finalized her divorce from Benjamin Millepied in 2023 after 11 years of marriage.
They share two children together, 13-year-old Aleph, 13 and 8-year-old Amalia, and are amicably co-parenting the children.
She boasted of the nightlife in Paris: ‘There’s always some incredible exhibit or concert or dinner party or writers in town p something fascinating and stimulating happening.
‘And the frequent vacations are so clutch!’
