"You're defined by the social structures upon you": Natalie Portman points to disparity against women at Cannes

Washington [US], May 21 : Actor Natalie Portman spoke about disparity against women at Cannes Film Festival. She narrated the role of social structure in deciding expectations from women.

According to Deadline, a US-based media house, Portman described the film as a study of the different roles one plays in different environments. She observed that discrepancy is particularly on display at the Cannes market where women are mandated to wear heels on the red carpet.

Natalie said, "Even here, the different ways we, as women, are expected to behave at this festival even compared to men... how we're supposed to look, how we're supposed to carry ourselves."

"The expectations are different on you all the time. It affects how you behave, whether you are buying into or rejecting it. You're defined by the social structures upon you," she adds, reported Deadline.

Portman arrived at Cannes for the premiere of 'May December' the story of an actor who heads to Savannah to study the lives of Gracie (Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton). Years prior, Gracie and Joe's scandalous cross-generational affair sparked a national controversy due to their age gap and the fact that Gracie was Joe's boss at a local pet store. Twenty years later, Elizabeth is playing Gracie in a film version of the scandal, but her arrival puts disruptive pressure on Gracie and Joe's marriage.

Directed by Todd Haynes, and headlined by Portman and Julianne Moore, the psychodrama 'May December' earned a 6-minute standing ovation at the festival's Grand Palais.