‘IT’S COMPLICATED’

Natalie Portman Now Finds Her Role in ‘Léon’ to Be ‘Cringe’

Allegations of sexual abuse by the movie’s director, Luc Besson, later fueled the film’s controversy.

Natalie Portman’s role in Leon: The Professional—one that many feel overtly sexualized the then-12-year-old-actress—now makes her “cringe,” she said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter released Wednesday. Portman revealed her “complicated” feelings about the film nearly 30 years later, saying, “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. 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.” Allegations from the movie’s director, Luc Besson, of sexual abuse years later fueled the film’s controversy. Portman said she was surprised and devastated by the allegations. Asked if she saw any indication of Besson’s alleged behavior, she said, “I really didn’t know. I was a kid working. I was a kid. But I don’t want to say anything that would invalidate anyone’s experience.”