Natalie Portman Did ‘Black Swan’ Balletcore With a Surprising Twist

Natalie Portman could arguably be credited with inventing balletcore after she played a tormented prima ballerina in the 2010 thriller Black Swan. She even won the best actress award for the role at the Oscars that year. It’s been a minute since we last saw Portman dip a toe into the trend, but on November 17 she graced the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix’s juicy new drama May December in a principal-dancer-worthy look.

To celebrate her starring role in the ’90s-tabloid-inspired dark comedy from director Todd Haynes, Portman wore a strapless black sequined Schiaparelli minidress with a deep plunge, flared skirt, and beaded corset featuring an unexpected 3D starburst brooch detail to the premiere. She also sported strappy black sandals with a classic red pedicure, an equally classic smoky eye, and her subtly highlighted brunette locks styled in loose, undone waves.

Andrew Toth

Natalie Portman stars alongside Julianne Moore in the film as a TV actress who moves in with the woman she’s studying for her new big role. The film’s name is a nod to the term May-December relationship, which describes a pairing wherein one person is much older than the other—though not necessarily in a “problematic, underage” way. The plot and main characters in May December—set to drop on the streaming platform December 1—are all fictitious, but the backstory is seemingly inspired by the headline-making ’90s scandal involving Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau.