Natalie Portman slams Oscars and ‘devastating’ ice cream

Natalie Portman remains outspoken about her beliefs, especially when it comes to injustice.

The famous actress has recently redoubled her years-long efforts for the recognition of female directors in the entertainment industry.

Natalie Portman has slammed the Oscars for snubbing talented female directors at the upcoming awards ceremony, while highlighting the country’s ICE problem.

In addition to criticizing the Oscars in her new interview, Portman also took a stand against ICE. She attended the Sundance Film Festival to promote her new film, “The Gallerist,” while wearing “ICE Out” and “Be Good” pins. The “Be Good” pin was a reference to Renée Good, who was killed by ICE earlier this month.

Portman noted in the interview that she was excited to promote her new film; however, the joy could not eclipse the ongoing ICE problem. She said the situation was “pretty devastating,” denouncing ICE for its “brutality” and the need to stop it.

“But there’s also a beautiful community that Americans are showing right now. They’re showing up for each other, protecting each other and fighting for their freedom,” Portman added. She said it was “a bittersweet moment” to celebrate her new film as the nation suffered.

The “Star Wars” team made their displeasure known in a recent interview, accusing the Oscars of not honoring more female directors in their list of nominations for the upcoming ceremony. She argued that their decision was biased since only Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet” made the list.

“A lot of the best films I’ve seen this year have been directed by women. You just see the barriers across the board because a lot of them haven’t been recognized at awards time,” Portman said. Variety. She said many films directed by women are worth watching, but they never get “the accolades they deserve.”

Portman’s list of major films included the 2025 American black comedy-drama “Sorry, Baby,” written and directed by Eva Victor. The drama “Left-Handed Girl” was co-produced and directed by Shih-Ching Tsou, while “Hedda” was written and directed by Nia DaCosta.

Portman’s disappointment at the lack of recognition for talented female directors at the Oscars isn’t the first time she’s angered the organization. Six years ago, she protested the lack of accolades for female directors at the 2020 awards.

The actress walked the red carpet in a stunning black and gold Dior dress with a cape embroidered with the names of snubbed female directors. Vogue covered the story, reporting that the list included Lorene Scafaria, Lulu Wang, Greta Gerwig, and more.

“I wanted to subtly recognize the women who weren’t recognized for their incredible work this year,” Portman said of her cape. Coincidentally, the couture cape was designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior’s first female creative director, adding more weight to Portman’s message.

Portman’s decision to honor snubbed female directors at the 2020 Oscars didn’t sit well with Rose McGowan. Italian-American actress and activist called it a “fraud“ in a scathing Facebook rant, claiming the cape was part of Portman’s act as a caring person.

McGowan noted that she was disgusted by Portman’s actions, arguing that for someone who fought for recognition for female directors, she barely worked with them. “Natalie, you have worked with two directors during your very long career, one of them was you,” wrote the activist.

Portman took the criticism in stride, noting that she agreed with McGowan’s position that her actions were not “brave.” Instead, she praised the Italian-American actress for being one of the many women who stood up to Harvey Weinstein despite the backlash.