More than a decade ago, Scarlett Johansson won a defamation civil case against French author Grégoire Delacourt. Delacourt used Scarlett’s name in his novel La Première Chose Qu’on Regarde, even though the “fictional character” was merely a Scarlett look-alike. Still, the “resemblance” between the real Scarlett and Delacourt’s character was considered defamatory by a French court. Well, twelve years later, Natalie Portman finds herself in a similar situation. Writer Rachel Cusk’s new novel is Life of M, and while Cusk doesn’t use Natalie’s name within the novel, it looks like Cusk used a huge chunk of Portman’s professional and personal life to build the lead character. It’s even more egregious because Portman and Cusk know each other and Portman has recommended Cusk’s books in her book club. Apparently, Portman is appalled.
Rachel Cusk’s highly anticipated new novel is suspected to be a portrait of Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman, 45, who is reportedly attempting to distance herself from the work. Early reviews and whispers within literary circles have indicated that Cusk’s upcoming book, Life of M, is based on Portman and the relationship between the two women.
Life of M follows “M,” an actress, who is asked by her friend, an author and the narrator of the novel, if she can chronicle her life in an autobiography. According to UnHerd, the novel begins, “A little while ago, I told the actor M that I was thinking of writing her autobiography. She liked the idea. She’s a good sport.”
Cusk goes on to write that the “film star” in question is “interested in books” and that “her image looked out everywhere, from shop windows and hoardings and the rain-streaked perspex of bus shelters.” She also outlines M’s history as a child star, and, at some point in the narration, M is notably cast in a film centered around ballet.
It’s hard not to see the obvious parallels. Portman jumped into the spotlight at the age of 12, and she has openly discussed how she was sexualized as a child star. The actress went on to win an Oscar in 2011 for her role as a ballerina in Black Swan. And, as Unherd points out, both characters in Cusk’s novel live in an unnamed European city, while both Cusk and Portman reside in Paris.
The actress, who is also a voracious reader, has an association with Cusk dating back years. In 2021, Portman recommended Cusk’s Outline trilogy in an interview with Elle. She has chosen Cusk’s novels twice for her own eponymous book club: Second Place in September 2021, and Parade in 2024. When picking Second Place, Portman interviewed Cusk, whom she introduced as one of her favorite writers. But this literary friendship could be on the rocks. UnHerd’s Valerie Strivers notes claims that Portman feels a sense of “betrayal” at the novel, which is set to be released at the end of next month.
Meanwhile, The Times of London cited reports that Portman is “outraged.”
“It’s very identifiably a portrait of Natalie Portman that doesn’t seem to recognize her as fully human, suggesting she’s been subsumed by her own fame,” one literary critic, who is familiar with Cusk, told the publication. “But she seems one of the last actresses you’d say that about, because she is highly intelligent and present. I think it dehumanizes her. Her not naming Portman is her way of pretending this is in the dominion of fiction, rather than her being a real person that you have responsibilities to.”
However, other sources close to the actress are attempting to distance her from the book, disputing such claims. These sources told the Times that Portman and Cusk have never been friends and the few times they have met included the virtual interview Portman conducted for her book club. Cusk is known for her autofiction, blending real characters and traits with fictional facets. The literary critic told the Times that the award-winning writer’s fiction is “deeply unkind to other people.”
This controversy also reminded me of Curtis Sittenfeld’s 2008 novel American Wife, which was absolutely based on Laura Bush (who was FLOTUS at the time). Like, it’s pretty common for real people and real situations to inspire fiction writers, and there’s a grand tradition of novelists hijacking/borrowing other people’s life stories for their work. But… I absolutely believe that Portman is probably furious about this, and she has every right to be. It’s especially hurtful because she knows Cusk in some way and Portman was clearly a fan of Cusk’s work. Yikes.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
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