The latest gossip in the literary world involves an experimental novelist and an Oscar-winning actor.
Literary Hub reports that some readers are speculating that the protagonist of Rachel Cusk’s latest novel, Life of M, is based on Natalie Portman, the star of films including Closer, Black Swan, and Jackie.
Life of M, slated for publication on Aug. 25 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, tells the story of M, a movie star who is closely observed by a writer seeking to understand what makes her tick. A critic for Kirkus wrote of the novel, “There’s no question about Cusk’s brilliant way with words, but this novel lacks the connection to a wide range of human experience that distinguishes her best work.”
Cusk and Portman do have a real-life connection; in 2024 the actor selected Cusk’s Parade for her book club, Literary Hub notes. “Forever in awe of Rachel Cusk and the way she disrupts form and the conventions of storytelling,” Portman wrote on Instagram at the time.
In the novel, M’s career takes off after playing a young ingénue in a European movie, while Portman first rose to fame at the age of 12 for her role in Luc Besson’s French film Léon: The Professional. M also portrays a ballet dancer in a movie; one of Portman’s best-known roles is Nina Sayers, a ballerina, in Black Swan.
Literary Hub’s Brittany Allen notes that in Cusk’s novel, M “apparently struggles to connect with the common folk outside the realm of fame. She comes across in the novel as tense, myopic, alienated. Not so great in a crisis.”
Neither Cusk nor Portman have commented on the theory that M was inspired by Portman—which, the Internet being what it is, will likely fuel even more speculation.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
