Natalie Portman praises May December co-star Julianne Moore

Natalie Portman talks about working with Julianne Moore in Todd Haynes’ upcoming romantic drama May December.

The film, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, follows Hollywood actress Elizabeth Berry (Portman) as she travels to Georgia to study the woman she will portray on screen, Gracie Atherton-Yu (Moore).

After Elizabeth’s arrival – and 20 years after Gracie and her husband Joe (Charles Melton) hit the tabloids for their scandalous relationship, with the mother of two jailed for courting him while he was barely done seventh grade – old wounds are torn and the marriage crumbles under new pressures.

Supported by an acclaimed cast and crew, Portman and Moore were praised in early reviews for their outstanding performances and stunning on-screen chemistry.

In an interview with People magazine Black Swan Star Portman spoke about her joy in working with Dear Evan Hansen‘ Moore, who previously worked with Carol director Haynes on his 1995 psychological drama Safe and indie romance 2002 Far from paradise.

“I’ve admired Julie for so long, and especially her work with Todd,” Portman said.

“Their collaborations stand out to me as some of the most powerful films I love,” she continued. “So to be able to work with them together is an absolute highlight of my life.”

Portman, who is also a producer May Decemberbrought the script to Haynes in 2020 before it was offered to Moore.

“I loved the script when I read it,” Moore said. “It’s interesting. It feels light at first, but once you get into it, it becomes incredibly strong. There’s a huge amount of feeling and humanity and complexity in it.”

Like Portman, Haynes praised Moore for her portrayal of a twisted and complex character.

“Julianne loves to go to these unfathomable places in her portrayals of women and in her stories in general,” Haynes said. “She doesn’t want to reassure the viewer. The way you ignite the viewer’s thinking and questions and open up something incredibly powerful and special, a lot of films kind of close that out.”

May December will be released in US and UK cinemas on November 17th and on Netflix from December 1st.