Natalie Portman is an Oscar-winning actress whose blockbuster hits have made her a household name for more than a decade. But she is not above calling out Hollywood for what she believes is idol worship.
Born in Israel and proud of her Jewish identity, Portman refuses to display the Oscar she won for Best Actress several years ago. Her reason? It’s a false idol.
“I was reading the story of Abraham to my child and talking about, like, not worshipping false idols,” she said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “And this is literally like gold men.”
The Academy Award statuette, often referred to as an Oscar, is shaped like a shiny, gold-colored man, evoking the comparison to the idol worship Abraham, Moses and other biblical patriarchs had to battle against in trying to keep the hearts and minds of the Jewish people pure and focused on God.
“I don’t know where it is,” she said of the Oscar. “I think it’s in the safe or something. I don’t know. I haven’t seen it in a while.”
“This is literally worshipping gold idols—if you worship it,” she added. “That’s why it’s not displayed on the wall. It’s a false idol.”
