Natalie Portman delivers a steely speech in the age of Time's Up
November 9, 2018 9:06 PM Subscribe
...and she's quite good in the right roles. Jackie was a great film, and just overlooked enough that I find myself still haranguing people about how spectacular she was in it.
posted by grandiloquiet at 9:38 PM on November 9, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by grandiloquiet at 9:38 PM on November 9, 2018 [7 favorites]
I've been a Portman fan for years, not for her politics but for her acting. She was easily the best thing about the Star Wars prequels, and she's done a lot more since. I don't follow her in depth at all, but she's always on my radar.
This speech was glorious. Mr. hippybear and I have a thing about voting. Always vote female. Even if the female is not of the preferred party... always vote female. Parity is so far away that it's shameful at this point in our culture and democracy.
posted by hippybear at 9:46 PM on November 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
This speech was glorious. Mr. hippybear and I have a thing about voting. Always vote female. Even if the female is not of the preferred party... always vote female. Parity is so far away that it's shameful at this point in our culture and democracy.
posted by hippybear at 9:46 PM on November 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
...and she's a badass singer: Natalie’s Rap 2 - SNL
posted by homunculus at 9:56 PM on November 9, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by homunculus at 9:56 PM on November 9, 2018 [4 favorites]
Natalie. PREACH.
I was not expecting this to make me cry but it has been a WEEK for women in tech and kind of a rough time for me in particular, and the bit where she used milk production as a metaphor for solidarity was SO FUCKING UNEXPECTED that I basically burst into sudden tears from surprise. I wasn't at all expecting the "yay boobs" bit to go there, and it was really, really powerful for me today.
posted by potrzebie at 12:16 AM on November 10, 2018 [9 favorites]
I was not expecting this to make me cry but it has been a WEEK for women in tech and kind of a rough time for me in particular, and the bit where she used milk production as a metaphor for solidarity was SO FUCKING UNEXPECTED that I basically burst into sudden tears from surprise. I wasn't at all expecting the "yay boobs" bit to go there, and it was really, really powerful for me today.
posted by potrzebie at 12:16 AM on November 10, 2018 [9 favorites]
I do not understand the fascination with this woman. Her acting in the Star Wars films was exactly like a robot who was acting like a robot. She had one expression. One.
I am not alone. I cannot be. Urban Dictionary lists her name as meaning " to resemble wood"
posted by bradth27 at 8:12 AM on November 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
I am not alone. I cannot be. Urban Dictionary lists her name as meaning " to resemble wood"
posted by bradth27 at 8:12 AM on November 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
She's an interesting one for sure, clearly one of the ones who's really alive. She's done a lot of outstanding work. It's great to see her stepping up like this.
posted by emmet at 8:19 AM on November 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by emmet at 8:19 AM on November 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
Bradth27: George Lucas has an amazing ability to take excellent actors and direct them to create mediocre performances. He’s not a good director when he doesn’t have Marcia fixing his movies in the editing room.
posted by rmd1023 at 8:27 AM on November 10, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by rmd1023 at 8:27 AM on November 10, 2018 [18 favorites]
...I mean, yes, Natalie Portman was terrible in Star Wars. Everyone (except Ian McDiarmid and Ewan McGregor's hair) was terrible in Star Wars! Obviously everybody is not for everybody, and you might just never be a fan. Natalie Portman doesn't melt into a role the way, say, Cate Blanchett does. But honestly, who does?
I find myself wondering about Portman's recent comments on industry sexism with the context of a bunch of roles (V for Vendetta, Brothers, even Black Swan) where I've always found her quite flat. So much of Portman's early work seems to involve around putting a pretty girl in a fraught situation and having her suffer, prettily. I think that's why I enjoyed Annihilation and Jackie so much. They're both suffering widow movies, but the films/roles are about as different as you could imagine. Portman's work is thoughtful and wonderfully complex in both. Those films take her characters seriously -- she's not just there for the breathless, trembling close-up. (Though there's plenty of that, too.) It makes a difference.
posted by grandiloquiet at 9:08 AM on November 10, 2018 [7 favorites]
I find myself wondering about Portman's recent comments on industry sexism with the context of a bunch of roles (V for Vendetta, Brothers, even Black Swan) where I've always found her quite flat. So much of Portman's early work seems to involve around putting a pretty girl in a fraught situation and having her suffer, prettily. I think that's why I enjoyed Annihilation and Jackie so much. They're both suffering widow movies, but the films/roles are about as different as you could imagine. Portman's work is thoughtful and wonderfully complex in both. Those films take her characters seriously -- she's not just there for the breathless, trembling close-up. (Though there's plenty of that, too.) It makes a difference.
posted by grandiloquiet at 9:08 AM on November 10, 2018 [7 favorites]
The running joke in this house is that our favorite subgenre is Natalie Portman Suffers For.
Black Swan? Natalie Portman Suffers For Art
Jackie? Natalie Portman Suffers For Maintaining Image.
Annihilation? Natalie Portman Suffers For The Concept Of Depression.
According to festival goers Vox Lux is Natalie Portman Suffers For Fame And Being A Huge Bitch so I’ll be there opening day.
posted by The Whelk at 10:10 AM on November 10, 2018 [16 favorites]
Black Swan? Natalie Portman Suffers For Art
Jackie? Natalie Portman Suffers For Maintaining Image.
Annihilation? Natalie Portman Suffers For The Concept Of Depression.
According to festival goers Vox Lux is Natalie Portman Suffers For Fame And Being A Huge Bitch so I’ll be there opening day.
posted by The Whelk at 10:10 AM on November 10, 2018 [16 favorites]
Portman's work is thoughtful and wonderfully complex in both.
I don't think I've seen any of her movies since the first one; I thought she was incredible – at 12 years old! – in Léon. From that Vanity Fair article it sounds like she’s matured well.
[on Preview: according to The Whelk, Léon would be ‘Natalie suffers because a maniac is trying to kill her.’]
posted by LeLiLo at 10:28 AM on November 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
I don't think I've seen any of her movies since the first one; I thought she was incredible – at 12 years old! – in Léon. From that Vanity Fair article it sounds like she’s matured well.
[on Preview: according to The Whelk, Léon would be ‘Natalie suffers because a maniac is trying to kill her.’]
posted by LeLiLo at 10:28 AM on November 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
I love where she calls for the audience of presumably film and art people to stop writing stories that depict the death of and violence towards woman for a year. That is fantastic.
I don’t like this thread has devolved into critiquing a woman’s delivery of her message as opposed to her message. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
posted by [insert clever name here] at 11:27 AM on November 10, 2018 [37 favorites]
I don’t like this thread has devolved into critiquing a woman’s delivery of her message as opposed to her message. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
posted by [insert clever name here] at 11:27 AM on November 10, 2018 [37 favorites]
Loved the speech. Loved the “gossip WELL” part.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 12:10 PM on November 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by CrazyLemonade at 12:10 PM on November 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même la femme chose.
JCCPT
posted by tzikeh at 12:39 PM on November 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
JCCPT
posted by tzikeh at 12:39 PM on November 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
The "gossip WELL" is a heck of a point. I whink I will adopt that because it's quite a context-shifter.
posted by rmd1023 at 1:28 PM on November 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by rmd1023 at 1:28 PM on November 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
yea, she made some excellent points, I am totally going to use the "what bad thing did you do to her" And I would be thrilled to see people taking a year off from depicting violence against women, I'm so sick of that being a plot point.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 2:23 PM on November 10, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 2:23 PM on November 10, 2018 [6 favorites]
Can we get a feature that only allows comments if users have clicked on and read/viewed the links. This is not about her movies, this is about her message. Agree with [insert clever name here]. Her speech, by the way, was fantastic.
posted by hampanda at 2:24 PM on November 10, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by hampanda at 2:24 PM on November 10, 2018 [11 favorites]
The step by step guide begins at 11:07
The steps are:
1. Money. Give or raise money.
2. Gather. Meet with other women and see what changes you want to make.
3. Listen. Of any group you're in has people who only look like you, change that.
4. Demand. The women in this room have the power to negotiate for equal pay, grant equal pay, popularize equal pay.
5. Gossip well. If a man says to you that a woman is crazy or difficult, ask him "what bad thing did you do to her?" Make efforts to hire people who have been smeared.
6. Don't be shy. Don't shy away from consequences for those who abuse their power. Those who abuse power are not going to have a change of behavior out of the goodness of their hearts. They will only change their behavior if worried they will lose what they care about.
7. Tell a new story. What if we took a year off from violence against women? What if everyone in this room did everything they could to ensure that the entertainment produced from this room doesn't depict rape or murder of women?
8. Use your fire to light other women's torches. Pledge to hire women in jobs women don't usually get. That light will multiply.
posted by Cozybee at 12:27 AM on November 11, 2018 [20 favorites]
The steps are:
1. Money. Give or raise money.
2. Gather. Meet with other women and see what changes you want to make.
3. Listen. Of any group you're in has people who only look like you, change that.
4. Demand. The women in this room have the power to negotiate for equal pay, grant equal pay, popularize equal pay.
5. Gossip well. If a man says to you that a woman is crazy or difficult, ask him "what bad thing did you do to her?" Make efforts to hire people who have been smeared.
6. Don't be shy. Don't shy away from consequences for those who abuse their power. Those who abuse power are not going to have a change of behavior out of the goodness of their hearts. They will only change their behavior if worried they will lose what they care about.
7. Tell a new story. What if we took a year off from violence against women? What if everyone in this room did everything they could to ensure that the entertainment produced from this room doesn't depict rape or murder of women?
8. Use your fire to light other women's torches. Pledge to hire women in jobs women don't usually get. That light will multiply.
posted by Cozybee at 12:27 AM on November 11, 2018 [20 favorites]
I love all of this, but especially the "Gossip Well" item and the "make an attempt to hire blacklisted people" item. Those, if widely adapted, feel like they could be l game changers. It's neutralizing, or even weaponizing one of the other side's most potent weapons against them; in time, it has the potential of basically killing off such gossip and corralling the blacklisters and malicious gossipers off in their own arena, for a start.
posted by seyirci at 9:17 AM on November 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by seyirci at 9:17 AM on November 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
The actor's address to Variety's Women of Power event borrows from classical techniques
Women’s oratory makes an impact at last: After millennia of being silenced and excluded, they are speaking up — and going viral
posted by homunculus at 4:33 AM on November 16, 2018
Women’s oratory makes an impact at last: After millennia of being silenced and excluded, they are speaking up — and going viral
posted by homunculus at 4:33 AM on November 16, 2018
>Women’s oratory makes an impact at last: After millennia of being silenced and excluded, they are speaking up — and going viral
Article is paywalled, but I really dislike the headline. Women's oratory has made impact before, history has just been rewritten over and over and over to hide this. Our generation is not the first generation of women to speak up and speak out and create real change and it's just more erasure of women from history to claim as much.
posted by Cozybee at 7:17 AM on November 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
Article is paywalled, but I really dislike the headline. Women's oratory has made impact before, history has just been rewritten over and over and over to hide this. Our generation is not the first generation of women to speak up and speak out and create real change and it's just more erasure of women from history to claim as much.
posted by Cozybee at 7:17 AM on November 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
« Older Save me from tomorrow / I don't want to sail with... | tea and mealworms Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by grandiloquiet at 9:36 PM on November 9, 2018 [3 favorites]