Natalie Portman Says Kids Don’t Know Movie Stars Anymore, but There’s ‘Liberation in Having Your Art Not Be a Popular Art’
variety.comZack Sharf Digital News Director Natalie Portman is the latest actor to speak about the decline of the movie star. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the “Black Swan” Oscar winner noted that kids these days like her own have no idea who movie stars are but are widely familiar with popular YouTubers. “The striking thing has been the decline of film as a primary form of entertainment,” Portman said. “It feels much more niche now.
If you ask someone my kids’ age about movie stars, they don’t know anyone compared to YouTube stars, or whatever.” And how does that feel? “There’s a liberation to it, in having your art not be a popular art,” she answered. “You can really explore what’s interesting to you.
It becomes much more about passion than about commerce. And interesting, too, to beware of it becoming something elitist. I think all of these art forms, when they become less popularized, you have to start being like, okay, who are we making this for anymore?” “There’s also been this democratization of creativity, where gatekeepers have been demoted and everyone can make things and incredible talents come up,” Portman continued. “And the accessibility is incredible.
If you lived in a small town, you might not have been able to access great art cinema when I was growing up. Now it feels like if you’ve got an internet connection, you can get access to anything.
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