I personally get a huge kick out of it when actors play actors on screen. The line that separates a performer from their actual existence blurs all the more in these scenarios, sometimes giving us unparalleled insight into who these actors are. Todd Haynes’ May December, one of the best movies on Netflix at the moment, offers up a prime example. Natalie Portman stars in the film as Elizabeth, a successful television actress who is studying for a new role, in which she’ll play a character based on Gracie (Julianne Moore), a former teacher who fell in love with one of her much younger students. The premise packs all the expected melodrama of a Haynes movie, as well as the dark humor. And one of those jokes, according to Portman, was a behind-the-scenes revelation.
