Natalie Portman could arguably be credited with inventing balletcore after she played a tormented prima ballerina in the 2010 thriller Black Swan. She even won the best actress award for the role at the Oscars that year. It’s been a minute since we last saw Portman dip a toe into the trend, but on November 17 she graced the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix’s juicy new drama in a principal-dancer-worthy look.
To celebrate her starring role in the ’90s-tabloid-inspired dark comedy from director Todd Haynes, Portman wore a strapless black sequined Schiaparelli minidress with a deep plunge, flared skirt, and beaded corset featuring an unexpected 3D starburst brooch detail to the premiere. She also sported strappy black sandals with a classic red pedicure, an equally classic smoky eye, and her subtly highlighted brunette locks styled in loose, undone waves.
Natalie Portman stars alongside Julianne Moore in the film as a TV actress who moves in with the woman she’s studying for her new big role. The film’s name is a nod to the term May-December relationship, which describes a pairing wherein one person is much older than the other—though not necessarily in a “problematic, underage” way. The plot and main characters in May December—set to drop on the streaming platform December 1—are all fictitious, but the backstory is seemingly inspired by the headline-making ’90s scandal involving Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau.
