Method acting is probably one of the most frowned-upon ways of acting. Although notable actors like Christian Bale and Daniel-Day Lewis are some of the pioneers of this form of acting, female actors like Natalie Portman feel that they are at an unfair disadvantage.

With how different genders are treated by societies, Portman revealed that female actors like herself might not be able to ever reach the status of true method acting that has been attained by Bale, Jared Leto, Leonardo DiCaprio, and several others.

Natalie Portman and Oscar Isaac in a still from Annihilation

Method Acting Puts Natalie Portman at a Disadvantage

Natalie Portman is known for portraying the role of Nina Sawyers in the 2010 Oscar-winning movie Black Swan. Portraying the role of a ballerina who goes to extreme lengths to pursue her passion, Portman’s dedication to the role is indeed admirable.

Natalie Portman in a still from Black Swan

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the actress talked about her 2010 movie and how she prepared for her role. While mentioning that she incorporated some forms of method acting, Portman revealed that she wasn’t able to devote herself completely to the character. Stating that her family would have problems dealing with this new persona, Natalie Portman remarked that this form put her at a disadvantage because she was an actress.

“I’ve gotten very into roles, but I think it’s honestly a luxury that women can’t afford. I don’t think that children or partners would be very understanding of, you know, me making everyone call me ‘Jackie Kennedy’ all the time.”

The actress does make a valid point since method acting is different for different actors and their families are also affected by it as well. However, method acting is not the only formula to make it big in Hollywood. As shared by veteran actor Mads Mikkelsen, the actor feels that method acting is just pretentious!

Mads Mikkelsen Feels Method Acting Is Pretentious!

Mads Mikkelsen as Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal

Known for portraying several iconic roles throughout his years, Mads Mikkelsen is quite a revered actor but he doesn’t believe in method acting being the perfect way for an actor. In an interview with GQ, the actor shared that preparation for a role can easily go into insanity.
“But preparation, you can take into insanity. What if it’s a sh*t film – what do you think you achieved? Am I impressed that you didn’t drop character? You should have dropped it from the beginning! How do you prepare for a serial killer? You gonna spend two years checking it out?”

The actor shared that if he had worked with Daniel-Day Lewis (a veteran method actor), he would try to break his character constantly.
“I would have the time of my life, just breaking down the character constantly. ‘I’m having a cigarette? This is from 2020, it’s not from 1870 – can you live with it?’ It’s just pretentious. Daniel Day-Lewis is a great actor. But it’s got nothing to do with this.”

Although Natalie Portman didn’t method act her way throughout the movie, she still won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Black Swan. It seems that method acting is indeed one way to tackle the realm of acting and make-believe but it has often turned into insanity if not taken seriously. With a high rating of 8/10 on IMDB and 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, Natalie Portman’s Black Swan is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.