Natalie Portman is getting real about her move to Paris — and why she likes it better than the United States.
“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,” Portman, 43, told Net-a-Porter in a cover story released on Monday, May 12. “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.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Portman explained that the cultural differences are what lead to assumptions about rudeness.
“I think we have an assumption that western cultures are all the same – and kind of evened out by all this pop culture that everyone consumes,” the actress explained. “It’s not true: it’s extremely specific here; and the culture is very different in both deep and surface ways.”
One thing Portman has noticed the French do better? Boundaries with celebrities.
“They’re very good at privacy here,” she gushed. “I feel like the biggest compliment is ‘elle est très discrète’ [‘she is very discreet’].”
The actress relocated to France with two kids Aleph, 13, and Amalia, 8, whom she shares with ex-husband Benjamin Millepied. (Portman and Millepied finalized their divorce in February 2024. Us Weekly confirmed in March that she had moved on with music producer Tanguy Destable.)
“All the kids that come to my house are, like, ‘Bonjour Madame’ — and give me the bise [cheek-to-cheek kiss]. And 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,” she added.
Portman has been more open about discussing her kids following her divorce from Millepied.
“My kids are always a source of excitement, because you just see them develop into the individuals they are,” she said during an Interview Magazine profile published on April 15. “I’ve been spending a lot of time with my friends, with their kids and my kids; that’s pretty fun.”
During the same interview, Portman offered a subtle allusion to her ex following their breakup. (It was widely rumored that Millepied was unfaithful, which is what led to the end of their marriage.)
“Having kids, that wasn’t really my motivation,” she said, when asked if starting a family allowed for a “balance” between personal and professional life. “I was just excited to have kids, and with a person that I was in love with. But it’s really important to have people in your life who keep you on the ground.”
