Natalie Portman is opening up about life with her third child. In a new Harper’s Bazaar cover story published October 26th, the actress described herself as “full of wonder and joy at this magical little human.”
The 45-year-old welcomed the baby in Paris in late August, as Entertainment Weekly reported. The child is her first with French electronic musician and producer Tanguy Destable, who also performs under the name Tepr.
Portman already shares son Aleph, 15, and daughter Amalia, 9, with her former husband, choreographer Benjamin Millepied. She has not publicly announced the new baby’s name or sex.
Much of the magazine’s interview took place in June, while Portman was pregnant and preparing to take the summer away from work. Her comments about the newborn came in an update shortly before publication, several weeks after she gave birth.
The Newborn Has Renewed Her Attention to Her Older Children
Becoming a mother again has brought Portman back to memories of Aleph and Amalia’s earliest days.
“It gives me a whole new attention to my big kids too,” she told the magazine.
Seeing a newborn again reminded her how recently her older children had been that small themselves. She reflected on how quickly they had grown into individuals with their own personalities, senses of humor and ideas.
Portman Shared a Pregnancy Portrait Before the Birth
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Portman shared a glimpse of her pregnancy on Instagram in July, posting a portrait taken by photographer Shelby Duncan. Wearing a light blue shirt, she looked down while cradling her baby bump.
“Counting the days until we meet you,” she wrote in the caption.
She had announced the pregnancy in April, when she was 44. Her father is a fertility specialist, and she explained that growing up around his work had made her aware of the difficulties people can face when trying to become parents. She also spoke about loved ones who had struggled to get pregnant.
Portman wanted to appreciate the experience, knowing it would probably be her last pregnancy. She said she felt calmer and more certain about the people and energy she wanted around her, while swimming and practicing Gyrotonics helped her stay active.
Having raised two children also affected how she prepared. Portman recalled reading many parenting books during her first pregnancy. This time, she felt more comfortable trusting her experience and accepting that parents inevitably make mistakes.
Paris Offered More Privacy During Her Pregnancy
Portman described a considerable difference between being pregnant in Paris and her experiences in New York and Los Angeles.
In the American cities, she recalled being followed by groups of about 20 photographers every day while expecting. In Paris, she said, people knew she was pregnant, but she was largely left alone.
During her April interview, she described spending her time walking through the city’s parks, seeing art and being with her children while she had a break from work.
Her Next Film Takes Her Into an Art-World Comedy
Portman’s next release is The Gallerist, directed by Cathy Yan. The film casts her as Polina Polinski, an art dealer whose increasingly desperate scheme involves trying to sell a corpse at Art Basel Miami Beach.
Portman joined Yan and co-star Jenna Ortega for the Deadline interview above, discussing the film’s unusual premise during its Sundance debut.
The ensemble also includes Catherine Zeta-Jones, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Sterling K. Brown and Zach Galifianakis. Portman serves as a producer as well as starring in the comedy, which opens December 4th.