WASHINGTON – Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman said she would vote for first lady Michelle Obama “in a second” if she ran for president in 2020.
Portman visited Washington for the screening of her new film Jackie about the life of former first lady Jackie Kennedy following the assassination of her husband, former President John F. Kennedy.
Some recently formed political action committees are encouraging a Michelle Obama run in 2020.
Portman shared her opinion of a potential Michelle Obama candidacy for president.
“Michelle Obama, I think, is maybe every American’s hero. I can’t imagine someone we could look up to more. But I mean, of course, I’d vote for her in a second, but I somehow doubt she’s going to be running for office,” Portman told PJM on Thursday evening.
Portman, who campaigned for Hillary Clinton during 2016 the presidential race, is not sure if Clinton should try to run for president again in 2020 after losing to her Republican rival Donald Trump.
“I am very impressed with Hillary Clinton’s candidacy and I think she did a great job promoting women’s leadership and promoting just, I think, a great passion for service that’s she’s committed her whole life to – but I don’t know. I think we have to pay close attention to everything that is going on and take it step by step,” she said.
Portman described the greatest challenge she faced playing Jackie Kennedy in the movie.
“I think the biggest challenge was all of the things that are very well documented, you know, the White House tour, the assassination, which of course we know so well through the Zapruder film – it puts certain parameters on what you can do because people know it so well. And people can check it side by side later, so you want to be as accurate as possible. And it’s not just your imagination or someone’s emotional state – you are also, kind of, technically limited,” she said.
Portman elaborated on why she decided to accept the role.
“I really was interested in the approach of the script because it took place in this condensed period just after the assassination, just a few days, and to tell this woman’s character through her resilience and behavior in the most unimaginably difficult situation we can think of was such an interesting approach to exploring a woman and a well-known woman who we never really considered as a human being,” she said.
Incoming first lady Melania Trump has said she would be a “very traditional” first lady similar to Jackie Kennedy. Noah Oppenheim, who wrote the Jackie screenplay, was asked if he sees any similarities between Trump and Kennedy.
“I think Jackie Kennedy is incomparable, let’s put it that way,” Oppenheim said.
In response to the same question, Juan de Dios Larraín, a producer of the film who is from Chile, said, “Jackie Kennedy represented a very iconic, emblematic, fashion, stylish, politician woman and I think Melania is different. I am not the right person to say what’s better because that’s a decision that belongs to the American people.”
Join the conversation as a VIP Member