Natalie Portman, Oscar winner, and star of films such as Black Swan and V for Vendetta, has stepped down from her latest project before production could even start. HBO Films said in a statement that the actress had “personal reasons” for not being able to continue with the film’s production. The network says that while they are sorry about this decision, it won’t be moving forward.
The HBO film “Days of Abandonment” is a story about Portman’s character who goes through the days following her husband leaving her. She lives an isolated life and deals with feelings of anger and depression because she can no longer live up to what she perceives as his expectations or standards. The next morning, she wakes up and finds that her husband has left her. The story follows the days following this abandonment, ending with a day of reckoning when Portman’s character confronts him about his decision to leave her.
The move is a major blow to HBO, which has had an impressive streak of female-centric projects in the pipeline this year. In addition to “Days of Abandonment,” which would have been its first Ferrante adaptation following the success of 2016’s limited series “My Brilliant Friend” and 2017 Emmy winner “Big Little Lies,” HBO was also developing a TV series based on the best-selling memoir “Educated.”
Details on Natalie Portman
Portman is one of Hollywood’s favorite actresses and has been seen in not only popular movies but also prestigious ones like “Pride & Prejudice.”
She played Queen Amidala for three Star Wars episodes that came out from 1999-2005. She continued with different roles, including being an American ballerina who learns about her Russian heritage. This was done through “Black Swan,” which won Portman an Oscar award for Best Actress. She is also known for “V for Vendetta” and other popular films.
In 2017, she announced that she would not be able to act in HBO’s new film “Days of Abandonment.” The director had said before the actress was cast that the project he wanted was “sitting on a couch eating bonbons” kind of actresses. They had already done pre-production work when Portman informed them of her decision. When they asked why there were no reasons given by the actress’ camp nor any further comment from her about it.
Natalie Portman Steps Away from New Film – Days of Abandonment
A long-form content blog post that discusses Natalie Portman and her departure from HBO film production for “Days of Abandonment.” The article explains how the move is a major blow to HBO who has had an impressive streak of female-centric projects in the pipeline this year.
Natalie Portman has stepped down from HBO's 'Days of Abandonment' due to unforeseen personal reasons.
Production will not be moving forward.
(https://t.co/sNeDvix9cg) pic.twitter.com/kgOUpi1or7
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) August 2, 2021
Portman explained that she was stepping down due to personal reasons and does not want any press around the project because it will become too much on top of work commitments for other films. There are also talks about why she left such a promising project and if she will return to acting again soon.
A summary about Natalie Portman’s career success comes up near the end, which includes talk about how she has been one of Hollywood’s top actresses since 1999 when she starred in “Anywhere But Here.” That is seen as a pivotal point in her career, as it gave the actress many opportunities to work on other films.
