Natalie Portman is addressing and calling out double standards that exist in gender behavior. The actress appeared on the BUILD Series with co-star John Hamm and director Noah Hawley to promote their upcoming science-fiction drama Lucy in the Sky. Based on a true story, the movie is about a female astronaut Lucy Cola who has an out-of-this-world experience during a lengthy NASA mission in space and then has trouble transitioning into normal life back on Earth.
© Getty ImagesDuring the interview, Natalie discussed a particularly emotional scene in the movie that sees her character compared to her male counterparts. "The same behaviour can be categorised completely differently between men and women, and that’s sort of what happens in the movie," she explained, reflecting on how women are often reprimanded for the same traits that are praised in men. “These guys are all daredevils. The first men who went to space, they agreed to strap themselves to a bomb…They’re all so brilliant, scientists and pilots and engineers, but they also were daredevils.”
"Then when she does something that’s kind of daredevil… she’s reprimanded for it as being reckless,” she continued. “So you see that… the same qualities that might be celebrated in one might be put down in another gender.”
© Fox Searchlight PicturesIn the movie, her character responds angrily, but Natalie insists it’s natural and typical of the real-life struggles women face everyday. "She is losing it, but it’s also kind of a normal reaction to lose it when you’re facing injustice," she explained.
Lucy in the Sky is in theaters now.
