Rachel Cusk's latest novel sparks outrage for alleged unflattering take on Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman, who is known for her roles in Star Wars films, Black Swan, Lady in the Lake, and Thor, among other projects, is quite a famous actress of the industry. Portman has been acting since she was 12 and has built a successful career and reputation.

That reputation might get tarnished after the release of bestselling author Rachel Cusk's upcoming novel, Life of M. The pre-publication copy reportedly reveals that the upcoming novel features a character who resembles Natalie Portman in more ways than one and makes her look rather unflattering.

Is Rachel Cusk Life of M based on Natalie Portman?

Natalie Portman and Rachel Cusk are known to be friends, but where their friendship stands at the moment is debatable. Valerie Stivers, who is a columnist for UnHerd, recently wrote about Life of M in her July 17, 2026 column. The writer had a look at the pre-publication copy of the book and revealed that Life of M seems to be based on Portman.

The novel is written from the point of view of a writer who writes the biography of actress M. She writes about M's career, life, and the reality of the glamour that comes with it. The novel's synopsis according to its US publisher, Macmillan Publishers, isn't exactly a dead giveaway (but there are a few hints) of who the novel is based on, but Stivers' column states that it is about Natalie Portman.

The synopsis states that Life of M is about

"The movie star M is one of the most recognizable faces of our time. Her image is everywhere. It has been like that since she was a child."

Natalie Portman has been an actress since she was a child, but that is true for many actresses in the industry. However, as Stivers states in her column,

“Chatter in New York literary circles says that Cusk’s upcoming novel, Life of M, is based on Cusk’s relationship with Portman,”

It is unlikely that there will be chatter or Stivers will make such a claim if there are no similarities between Natalie Portman and Life of M's protagonist. The columnist also mentions that Rachel Cusk hasn't exactly painted a good or neutral image of Portman in the novel. In fact, Portman is portrayed in a rather unflattering manner.

If this claim turns out to be correct, it will raise serious concerns around literary ethics. While a writer should have the freedom to write about their experiences, there should be a line between artistic expression and literary assassination. Many times when novels are written about real people, their real names and similarities to the characters are not made as evident, or they are written with their consent.

If Cusk really has made it too obvious that Life of M is about Portman and then proceeded to portray her in a bad light, it will affect Portman's reputation significantly. Moreover, it will question Cusk's ethics as a writer since her depiction of Portman might even get tagged as defamation.

At the end of the day, novels are a way of artistic expression, not evidence of a person's wrongdoings. Irrespective of what may have happened between Rachel Cusk and Natalie Portman, questions will arise about whether the former should have portrayed the latter in a bad light without her consent, knowing the consequences it might have.

Natalie Portman is yet to issue a statement regarding the matter. Stay tuned for more updates.

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