Natalie Portman 'Hated' Being Pregnant at 2011 Oscars: 'A lot of Stress'

On the May 20 episode of the Dish podcast, the Portman got candid about attending award shows and major Hollywood events while expecting her first child in 2011.

"I couldn't drink at all during all of those events, which was hard," Portman, 43, recalled. "It's a lot of stress. It's a lot of attention. … And I was sober while everyone else was not."

That year, the Portman was nominated and ultimately won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Black Swan. But while she was dressed to the nines, behind the scenes, things weren't so glamorous.

"Everyone was like, 'Oh, you're going to pop.' I was like, 'I'm four months pregnant,'" she recalled. "Everyone was like, 'You must be giving birth tomorrow. Hope it doesn't happen on the red carpet.' I was like, 'I've got five more months to go.'"

While many celebrities go on diets an exercise vigorously in the lead up to award season, Portman joked that she was "probably the only actress eating my way to the Oscars" that year.

At the 2011 Oscars, a pregnant Portman famously thanked then-fiancé Benjamin Millepied, who choreographed Black Swan and whom she met on set, during her acceptance speech, calling him, "my beautiful love… who has now given me my most important role of my life."

That role, of course, was becoming a mom. The couple would go on to welcome their son Aleph in June of that year.

Portman and Millepied tied the knot in August 2012 and had a second child, daughter Amalia, in 2017. But after 11 years of marriage, they called it quits.

The couple separated in 2023 and ultimately finalized their divorce in February 2024 amid reports of Millepied's alleged infidelity. Since the split, Portman has opened up more about motherhood and her life post-divorce.

"My kids are always a source of excitement, because you just see them develop into the individuals they are," she shared in a profile with Interview Magazine last month. "I've been spending a lot of time with my friends, with their kids and my kids; that's pretty fun."

When asked whether having a family helped her balance her career and personal life, Portman said, "Having kids, that wasn't really my motivation."

"I was just excited to have kids, and with a person that I was in love with. But it's really important to have people in your life who keep you on the ground," she explained.