With more than 50 films in less than 3 decades, Natalie Portman is unquestionably one of the most sensational actresses of this generation. Her performances in the films are breathtaking, winning an Academy Award for Best Actress, as each role she takes on, Portman effortlessly immerses herself into the character. One of the key factors that have helped the Black Swan actress is her effortless transition to play a role in a dramatic role in an intense drama movie to a romantic role in a film. Hence, it is clear that the praise and fame she receives is not only for her beauty but also for her hard work and dedication.
As a result, sometimes working alongside Natalie Portman can feel overwhelming for some actors, as she tends to have high standards and immense dedication that she brings to her craft. Such was the reason with Ashton Kutcher, where the actor felt overwhelmed working alongside the Anywhere But Here actress in the popular 2011 film, No Strings Attached.
Ashton Kutcher Struggled To Work Alongside Natalie Portman
No Strings Attached is a popular rom-com film from 2011, which was a massive hit at the box office that earned $149.2 million worldwide with additional earnings of $16.7 million in video sales the success of the film was enormous as it had a budget of mere $25 million. During an exclusive interview with Collider, Kutcher stated how he felt the crushing pressure of working alongside Natalie Portman because of her dedication and professionalism, she brings in her craft.
“I learned more from Natalie in one day of being on set together than I can ever possibly teach her in a billion years. She may not have done a rom-com before, but she’s done so much work on so many different levels. I mean, I even watch ‘Garden State’ or something like that, that’s comedic in and of itself, but also is true, specific organic performances. I don’t know that there’s anything I can really teach her.”
The Two and a Half Men actor called Natalie Portman “one of the best actresses of my generation,” and how it can be a “blessing and a curse” for her to be an actor.
“She’s probably one of the best actresses of my generation. I believe she is and there’s a blessing and a curse in that as an actor. Because… you know everything you get across from you is going to be real and honest and reactive and beautiful, at the same time when the light shines in the dark room, all the dust shows, and so it was a challenge for me to be as honest as she is.”
Those were some massive words of praise from Kutcher, as he had worked in the popular sitcom show, That 70s Show and he had much more experience than Portman working in the rom-com genre. However, the Hotel Chevalier actress disagreed and stated how she learned a thing or two from her co-star as well.
Natalie Portman Was Not Happy With Her Salary in No Strings Attached
Natalie Portman had gained significant experience before working in No Strings Attached, as she had worked in one of the biggest franchises in the world, that is, Star Wars. Moreover, she had finished working in Black Swan, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. However, she was perplexed, when she saw the numbers on her paycheck, which happened to be a third of Kutcher’s salary in the film.
Clearly, Natalie Portman was not happy with the colossal wage disparity and she talked about this during an interview.
“I knew and I went along with it because there’s this thing with ‘quotes’ in Hollywood. His [quote] was three times higher than mine, so they said he should get three times more. I wasn’t as pissed as I should have been.”
“Compared to men, in most professions, women make 80 cents to the dollar. In Hollywood, we are making 30 cents to the dollar.”
At that time, Natalie Portman decided to remain quiet on the set of No Strings Attached as she did not want to look greedy. However, she was not happy with the gender pay gap. Ashton Kutcher almost came in to support her co-star with a tweet, “So proud of Natalie and all women who stand up for closing the gender pay gap.” Similar to their on-screen chemistry, they also share a great real-life relationship too.
No Strings Attached can be streamed on Netflix.
Source: Collider
