Natalie Portman says she was sexualized as a child star and felt 'unsafe'

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Natalie Portman says first piece of fan mail was a 'rape fantasy' sent to her by a man

Actress Natalie Portman opened up to People Magazine, revealing she was sexualized as a child star and how it made her feel unsafe.

Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman opened up about what it was like to be a child star and how society treats its young celebrities.

Portman, 37, who stars in the new film "Vox Lux" as Celeste, a pop star who survived a horrific event as a teenager, recently revealed that the piece of first fan mail she ever received was when she was a budding 13-year-old actress. It was a “rape fantasy” written and sent to her by a man.

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“I understood very quickly, even as a 13-year-old, that if I were to express myself sexually I would feel unsafe and that men would feel entitled to discuss and objectify my body to my great discomfort,” Portman told People. “I felt the need to cover my body and to inhibit my expression and my work in order to send my own message to the world that I’m someone worth of safety and respect.”

The “Black Swan” star said she realized later on that she was sexualized, but has come to terms with it.

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“I know I was sexualized in the ways that I was photographed or portrayed, and that was not my doing,” she said. “That becomes a part of your public identity.”