EXCLUSIVE: Natalie Portman 'Shrugs Off' Novel Allegedly Inspired by Her Life
Natalie Portman has 'shrugged off' a novel allegedly inspired by her life as literary controversy grows.
Aug. 18 2026, Published 6:30 a.m. ET
Rumor has it Natalie Portman is the subject of Rachel Cusk's explosive new novel, Life of M – but the Oscar-winning mom-to-be isn't fazed by it one bit, sources told RadarOnline.com.
First of all, "Natalie and Rachel hardly know each other. They are acquaintances at best," said an insider.
Portman Shrugs Off Book Comparisons
Rachel Cusk's 'Life of M' has sparked speculation that its unnamed character M is based on Natalie Portman.
The insider continued: "Natalie is more focused on the devastation of the fires in France, where she lives, and her pregnancy than she is with this book.
"She is pretty much ignoring the noise and isn't terribly concerned. She has always been a fan of Rachel's writing but this character does not mirror Natalie in any way."
According to the book's publisher, the character called M is "one of the most recognizable faces of our time" – while other reports claim M bears "uncanny" similarities to the 45-year-old actress.
Although M is never named, Cusk reportedly wrote M was cast in a ballet film – as Portman was in 2010's psychological thriller Black Swan.
Book Character Fuels Portman Speculation
Cusk wrote M starred in a ballet film, drawing comparisons to Portman's role in 'Black Swan.'
Cusk also wrote M revealed starring in a movie at the age of 13 "ended her childhood." That seems to match up with Portman's film debut in the 1994 action thriller Léon: The Professional, when she was 13.
M also insisted she uses her fame to make her life as "normal" as possible – even though the novel's narrator says hotel staff happily open a closed garden for the two of them to have coffee.
One literary critic who knows Cusk wrote: "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."
Portman Ignores Growing Book Buzz
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A literary critic described Cusk's unnamed character as an identifiable portrait of Portman.
The critic added: "Her not naming Portman is her way of pretending this is in the dominion of fiction, rather than her being a real person."
Star Wars alum Portman – who has two children with ex-husband Benjamin Millepied and is expecting a child with Tanguy Destable, a French music producer known as Tepr – continues to ignore the hubbub, said the insider: "Natalie knows who she is and who her real friends are."
