Acclaimed novelist Rachel Cusk’s new book, Life of M, is stirring speculation that its central character, a hollow, cynical movie star, is a thinly veiled portrait of Natalie Portman, an author Portman herself has championed through her online book club.
Details of the fictional star’s filmography appear to closely mirror Portman’s real roles in Leon: The Professional, Black Swan and Vox Lux, fueling comparisons since the book’s announcement ahead of its August 25 release.
The novel follows an unnamed writer in an unnamed city resembling Paris undertaking an experimental, possibly fictionalized project about a friend, the titular M, blending elements of the traditional celebrity profile with scenes set in luxury hotels and discreet restaurants.
Cusk writes of M’s disconnection from a stable identity, describing how “to always be playing a part is to have no home… nor any history,” and comparing her literal home to “a big doll’s house, with her as the doll inside it.”
The book’s release has become a notable cultural moment, drawing sharp commentary from critics.
Writer Hunter Harris published a piece questioning the dynamic under the headline Does Natalie Portman Have A Bad Art Friend? while reviewer Valerie Stivers described the book as a “dark portrait” and suggested Portman’s decision to let a friend write about her reflected more on her desire to appear intellectual than genuine substance, despite no clear evidence the two women were ever close.
Former New York Times book critic Molly Young also noted hearing through industry sources about an “insane” legal situation surrounding the book, though she wasn’t able to obtain further detail.
An anonymous source close to Portman told the Daily Mail that the actress, who moved to Paris in part to protect her privacy, feels blindsided and upset by the book, especially rumours suggesting she had any involvement in its creation.
“She thinks it is a real low blow and is horrified about the rumours she was in on the book in some way, which she certainly was not.”
Neither Portman nor Cusk and her publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, has commented.
An industry executive close to Portman pushed back further on any suggestion of closeness between the two women, telling the outlet the character bears no real resemblance to Portman personally and that the two have only met a handful of times.
“They’ve never been friends. Natalie’s a fan… The publisher would want people to believe they are close and that Rachel observed her for years. But it’s fiction.”
