Phoenix 24
The novel’s protagonist resembles the Oscar-winning actress so closely that critics are questioning where literary inspiration ends and unauthorized appropriation begins.
LONDON.— Rachel Cusk’s 13th novel, Life of M, will reach bookstores surrounded by controversy over its apparent similarities to Natalie Portman. The story follows an unnamed writer who attempts to chronicle the life of a celebrated actress identified only as M. Neither Cusk nor Portman has confirmed that the fictional character is based on the Hollywood star.
The parallels, however, are unusually specific. M lives in Paris, became famous through a sexually charged childhood role, represents a luxury brand and later portrayed a psychologically troubled ballerina. Those details strongly resemble Portman’s career in Léon: The Professional and Black Swan, as well as her longstanding association with Dior.
The novel presents M as isolated by celebrity, intensely concerned with her image and disconnected from ordinary experience. British critic Johanna Thomas-Corr described the book as a “calculated form of humiliation,” while other reviewers have praised Cusk’s precise prose and examination of fame, identity and authenticity. Unnamed sources close to Portman have claimed that she finds the similarities troubling, but the actress has not addressed the book publicly.
Life of M ultimately appears less interested in revealing a celebrity’s private life than in examining how fame turns a person into an image available for collective interpretation. Yet the recognizable details ensure that readers will continually compare M with Portman, regardless of the author’s intentions. When fiction borrows the outline of a living person, artistic freedom may create a powerful novel—but it cannot prevent the subject’s shadow from entering every page.
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