Natalie Portman is one of the most popular actresses in modern cinema. A former child actress, Portman found her first big break at only 12 years old with the French thriller “Léon.” Just three years later, she would find incredible international success with the role of Padmé in “Star Wars – The Phantom Menace.”
The second reason Portman is so well known is her activism. She’s given speeches to the United Nations and argued for economic projects in the developing world at leading universities. Here’s what else she has done.
What Natalie Portman does for the environment
In her interviews, Portman often recalls how she became a vegetarian at age 10. Quite a bit later, she switched to a vegan diet and eventually moved her attention to broader environmental issues.
She now lives a relatively frugal life, at least for a celebrity. She only buys vintage clothes and makes a point of repairing what she can. But Portman’s sustainability streak goes far beyond personal actions.
In 2008, at the height of her popularity, the movie star launched a line of animal‑friendly shoes line for Te Casan. Her first vegan footwear project was shut down less than a year after its debut. The line debuted right as the actress became vegan. She later went on to produce a documentary based on “Eating Animals,” the book she says convinced her to take this decision.
The “Eating Animals” movie features Portman as the narrator, while the book’s writer, Safran Foer, co-produced the picture. By all accounts, the movie is more than an adaptation of an almost 20-year-old book.
According to Foer, the movie “covers a lot of things I wish I had known about when I wrote it.” The movie was well-received in cinemas and won a number of awards, including one from the Environmental Media Association.
Other Natalie Portman initiatives
In 2004, Natalie Portman became involved with the Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA). Thanks to her role as Ambassador of Hope, Portman helped the micro-lending initiative sponsor a number of businesses in developing countries.
As an ambassador, Portman also represented the organization in public speaking performances. Those include a lecture, multiple televised interviews, and a series of lectures on eight American campuses.
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Portman is also an ambassador for WE, formerly Free the Children, a charity involved in the American education sector and in other projects abroad. She took on that role back in 2011.
More recently, Portman was one of many high‑profile names participating in Dior’s Love Chain initiatives. The initiative, backed by Portman, Dior, and WE, will see the fashion brand donate $1 per video published with the hashtag #diorlovechain. The money collected goes to the WE’s schools’ program for Kenyan youth, which has since allowed 3,000 Kenyan children to attend school.
Natalie Portman and women’s rights
Many of the WE initiatives Portman is involved with are dedicated to young girls. Even her early microlending work with FINCA helped start many women‑owned businesses. But the star’s initiatives for women’s rights go deeper.
Perhaps most famously, Portman participated in the 2018 Women’s March protests across the United States. In her speech at the Los Angeles march, the actress revealed details of her personal experience with harassment.
But Portman’s speech wasn’t just about her experience. During the event, the actress wore a Time’s Up shirt. Time’s Up was a no-profit initiative that Portman co-founded and supported through the years.
The now-defunct organization offered legal funds for those subject to sexual harassment or discrimination. After multiple controversies undermined the fund’s authority, the organization was dissolved.
The Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls is another important project from Natalie Portman. The initiative was started by the United Nations in collaboration with the European Union and other organizations, like UNICEF and UNESCO.
Portman has spoken on behalf of the Spotlight Initiative multiple times. Most recently, she was one of many activists speaking at the United Nations, asking the organization to increase spending.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of Impakter.com — In the Featured Photo: Natalie Portman at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Sept. 17, 2023. Featured Photo Credit: UN Women/Ryan Brown.
