Natalie Portman Defends Oscars Outfit Amid Rose McGowan Criticism: “It Is Inaccurate to Call Me Brave”

The 2020 Oscars may have come and gone, but the drama will live on forever. This week, actress Rose McGowan went after Natalie Portman for her statement-making Oscars look, a cape embroidered with the names of this year’s snubbed female directors. While many praised Portman’s look, McGowan insisted that her “embroidered activist cloak” was anything but “brave,” and she called out the Black Swan star for her “fake support of other women.” On Wednesday, Portman finally responded to McGowan’s heated statement, saying, “I agree … It is inaccurate to call me ‘brave’ for wearing a garment with women’s names on it.”

On Sunday night, Portman made waves with her outfit choice, a Dior cape lined with the names of eight female directors who were ignored by the Academy, including Greta Gerwig (Little Women), Lulu Wang (The Farewell), and Alma Har’el (Honey Boy). “I wanted to recognize the women who were not recognized for their incredible work this year in my subtle way,” the actress told Los Angeles Times reporter Amy Kaufman on the red carpet.

Portman’s Oscars outfit was the most talked about look of the night, but not everyone appreciated the sentiment. On Tuesday, McGowan posted a lengthy message on Facebook tearing into Portman’s “Oscar ‘protest'” and the widespread positive reaction. “[This is] the kind of protest that gets rave reviews from the mainstream media for its bravery. Brave? No, not by a long shot,” she wrote. “More like an actress acting the part of someone who cares. As so many of them do.”

McGowan went on to say that Portman’s activism is “deeply offensive” as she has only “worked with two female directors” in her career (one of them was herself). “What is it with actresses of your ilk?” she wrote. “You are the problem. Lip service is the problem. Fake support of other women is the problem.”

On Wednesday, Portman issued a statement in response to McGowan’s Facebook post. “I agree with Ms. McGowan that it is inaccurate to call me ‘brave’ for wearing a garment with women’s names on it,” she said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Brave is a term I more strongly associate with actions like those of the women who have been testifying against Harvey Weinstein the last few weeks, under incredible pressure.”

“It is true I’ve only made a few films with women. In my long career, I’ve only gotten the chance to work with female directors a few times,” continued Portman, noting that she’s made “shorts, commercials, music videos and features” with directors including Marya Cohen, Sofia Coppola, and Rebecca Zlotowski. “Unfortunately, the unmade films I have tried to make are a ghost history.”

Portman added that there are a variety of systemic problems and “gatekeepers” that make it difficult for female directors to get their films financed or produced in the studio system. “I have had the experience a few times of helping get female directors hired on projects which they were then forced out of because of the conditions they faced at work,” said the Oscar winner. “So I want to say, I have tried, and I will keep trying. While I have not yet been successful, I am hopeful that we are stepping into a new day.”