Natalie Portman Slams Life of M, Saying It Mirrors Her Starry Life

Natalie Portman is rattled by the release of Rachel Cusk’s new novel, *Life of M*, which draws striking parallels to the actress’s own childhood stardom, her divorce, and her recent pregnancy. The 100‑page book hit shelves on August 25 and has sparked a flurry of speculation in Hollywood and Parisian literary circles.

Portman, who is 45 and expecting her third child with partner Tanguy Destable, has said she finds the book “annoying” but remains furious about the portrayal.

In *Life of M* the narrator follows a former child star living in Paris as she writes an autobiography. The character, called M, shares many traits with Portman: a career that began with a controversial child‑acting role, a grueling training regime for ballet, and a failed marriage to a fellow dancer.

Cusk’s description of M’s experiences—starring in a film that “brought her childhood to an end,” training with “starved and chain‑smoking ballerinas,” and grappling with love—echoes Portman’s public admissions about *Léon* and *Black Swan*.

The novel is described as thin, a quick 100‑page read that probes the notion of fame. Sources say the writer and publisher are “skating the line of not trying to hide who they make it out to be,” even though they do not comment directly on whether M is based on Portman.

The book’s release has prompted debate about artistic inspiration versus exploitation, especially given Portman’s past statements about being sexualized as a child.

## Background & Context

Natalie Portman rose to prominence at age 12 with her role in the 1994 film *Léon: The Professional*. She later starred as a ballerina in *Black Swan*, a performance that earned her an Academy Award in 2011 after a year of training with the New York City Ballet.

In March 2024 she finalized a divorce from ballet dancer Benjamin Millepied, her partner of 11 years and father of her two children, Aleph (15) and Amalia (9). The split followed allegations of infidelity.

Rachel Cusk, the author of *Life of M*, has a long literary résumé. She has won several awards, including the Whitbread First Novel Award and the Prix Femina étranger.

Her earlier memoirs, *A Life’s Work: On Becoming a Mother* and *The Last Supper: A Summer in Italy*, have been both celebrated and controversial; the latter was withdrawn after a lawsuit settlement.

While Portman has been open about her experiences as a child star, she has also maintained that she is comfortable with herself. In an interview with *Interview* magazine in April, Portman explained that she endured a “long Lolita phase” and that the public perception of her is different from her true self.

She said: “I’ve talked about it a little before — about how, as a kid, I was really sexualized, which I think happens to a lot of young girls who are onscreen. I felt very scared by it.”

## What People Are Saying

Sources in Paris say that Portman and Cusk are not close friends. , they have only met five or six times, and Cusk appeared on Portman’s Instagram book club without ever hanging out together. The same source noted that “Rachel steals from ,” suggesting the novel is more of a literary exercise than a personal indictment.

Other insiders claim that the idea Portman is “close friends” with Cusk is a fabrication designed to boost book sales.

One publisher’s statement was that the writer and publisher are “narrowly skating the line of not trying to hide who they make it out to be.” They also emphasized that no deep exposé exists in the novel; readers do not get to the “inner most working” of M’s character.

The speculation that Portman may have granted Cusk permission for a roman à clef has circulated online, but representatives for both women were asked and said there was no collaboration. Portman’s side, as reported, did not collude with Cusk on the book. This lack of cooperation suggests the novel is purely Cusk’s creative output.

In her analysis of the work, Valerie Stivers, a senior editor at *UnHerd*, said that Cusk is “not dismantling Natalie Portman in the desire to be mean.” Stivers added that the character M captures something real about Portman’s quest to be normal, but also noted that if they were friends, the novel’s conclusion would be mean.

## What Happens Next

Portman is set to release new campaigns with Dior and Tiffany this fall. She will star in *The Gallerist* and in Lena Dunham’s *Good Sex* early next year. The actress is also pregnant with her third child, which has added a new dimension to her public narrative.

The ending of *Life of M* features the narrator telling the story’s protagonist that the portrayal feels dehumanizing. While Portman herself reportedly does not see these allegations as true, she remains unfazed by the controversy. Sources say she is “pretty comfortable with who she is” and that her close friends know her well.

Cusk continues to defend her novel as a legitimate exploration of identity, arguing that “the self doesn’t exist.” Despite the backlash, *Life of M* is expected to become another bestseller, illustrating how literary art can spark debate when it mirrors real lives.

In the end, the novel and the ensuing conversation highlight how public figures grapple with their past and how writers choose their subjects. As both Portman and Cusk move forward—one on set, the other at a typewriter—the story of *Life of M* remains a curious footnote in celebrity‑literature interactions.