From the set of Black Swan to two beautiful children, Oscar winner Natalie Portman and her husband Benjamin Millepied have been married for 11 years.
In a Sirius XM Town Hall interview in 2018, Portman, 42, gushed about falling in love with the choreographer, 46, on the set of Darren Arenofsky’s critically acclaimed thriller: “I think I was in, like, dreamland… It was beautiful.”
Millepied was hired in 2009 to both choreograph the film and train Portman, who wasn’t a professional dancer, in the art of ballet. While it wasn’t love at first sight, as the Star Wars actress spent more time with the French dancer, she couldn’t deny her gut instinct that Millepied was “the right person” for her.
By the time Portman won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in Black Swan in February 2011, the pair were already engaged and expecting their first child, Aleph, now 12, who they welcomed in June later that year. In her acceptance speech, the former child actor thanked her then-fiancé: “To my beautiful love, Benjamin Millepied, who choreographed the film and has now given me the most important role of my life.”
The following July, Portman spoke about how motherhood made her reevaluate her priorities, telling Madame Figaro that “nothing is more important” than her personal life and, “compared to the happiness of a successful family life,” everything else became “superficial”.
The couple tied the knot in August 2012 in an intimate Jewish ceremony on the coast of California in Big Sur, nearly two years after announcing their engagement. The Garden State actress wore a Rodarte gown as she exchanged vows with Millepied under a twiggy chuppah. Famous faces like Macauley Culkin, Diane Sawyer, Ivanka Trump, and Jared Kushner, who was Portman’s 2003 classmate, were in attendance for the couple’s happy day.
In 2014, the couple relocated to Paris after Millepied accepted a position as the director of the Paris Opera Ballet, much to Portman’s excitement. In conversation with Marie Claire, the V for Vendetta actress said: “It’s one of the most exciting places to be in the world right now…When Ben asked me if I wanted to go to Paris, I freaked. Everyone dreams of living in Paris!”
After two years as director, Millepied left the company, and their family relocated back to Los Angeles, where Portman had been based for years.
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Portman explained that one key difference between Parisian and Angeleno culture is that in Los Angeles “everyone smiles” and French people were too “cool”.
Six years after their first child was born in 2017, the couple welcomed their daughter, Amalia, now six. Aside from raising their children, the couple would go on to collaborate on 2018’s American musical drama film Vox Lux, in which Portman starred as a complicated pop star.
At the time, The Thor actress told People that working with her husband was “convenient” because he “knew [her] so well”.
In 2022, the couple celebrated their 10-year anniversary, with Portman writing on Instagram: “Ten years today @benjaminmillepied, and it keeps getting better…”
However, in June, the couple found their relationship the subject of public scrutiny after reports of Millepied’s alleged infidelity circulated. The choreographer allegedly engaged in an affair with a 25-year-old French woman, according to French outlet Voici. At the time, a source told People that the couple would remain together and that the alleged infidelity “was short-lived” and “over”. The infidelity rumours were not confirmed or addressed by the couple.
On their 11-year anniversary, fans speculated that Portman was separated from Millepied after she was spotted sans wedding ring while attending an event in Sydney, Australia. The No Strings Attached actress was supporting Angel City FC, the football club she co-owns alongside Eva Longoria, Serena Williams, America Ferrera, Mia Hamm, and Abby Wambach.
As of now, reports that Portman and Millepied have separated have not been confirmed.
The Independent has contacted a representative for Portman for comment.
