Portman Quite Contrite
Natalie Portman has issued a major mea culpa after comments she made to a magazine caused an uproar among readers. In an interview published in the August issue of Allure, the "Closer" star described how growing up on the big screen had made her self-conscious, declaring, "I was reading [African-American sociologist] W.E.B. DuBois's stuff in school, and I was like 'Oh my God! I'm not black, but I know what it feels like!'"
That comparison didn't sit well with some readers, prompting Portman to pen an extended apology.
"My lack of eloquence, combined with my words being taken out of context, led to the printing of a statement of mine that I found personally offensive," she says in the December issue of the mag. "If I had spoken more articulately, I might have conveyed what I truly feel: I could never know what is like to be a black American. I could only imagine what it’s like to be anything other than what my own experience has been."
According to the actress, "The 'it' I was referring to when I said, 'I know what it feels like,' was not intended to signify that I know 'how black people feel,' but rather that I know what DuBois’s concept of double-consciousness feels like, in variation. Had my quote included what I actually said preceding that statement, perhaps my meaning would have been clearer." (For those curious about this double-consciousness of which Portman speaks, type the phrase and the author's name into your favorite search engine.)
Natalie, who graduated from Harvard in 2003 with a degree in psychology, says she "tried to explain my experience using a concept written by someone light-years more intelligent and eloquent than I am, whose writing made me feel like someone else had been through a similar psychological experience to mine in some way. I clearly did not express myself well enough to deserve the right to quote a man as brilliant as DuBois."
Concludes the penitent Portman, "I sincerely, and with my deepest regrets for offending any readers, apologize and apologize and apologize. This has upset me deeply, and I will do my best to be more thoughtful and articulate in the future." Which could set a dangerous precedent for other celebrities, who practice for years to learn how to say as little as possible during interviews.
Allure editor Linda Wells tells the New York Post that Portman's missive was "brave, humble, and refreshingly lacking in defensiveness," and says that "since it ran, we've gotten a ton of letters supporting her."
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