“It was a formative moment in my life”

Natalie Portman has recalled meeting Rihanna during Paris Fashion Week, and explained that it felt like “a formative moment in my life”.

The moment took place at the start of the year when the two were both present at the event to attend Dior’s Haute Couture show, which debuted a new collection from the brand.

During the event, they bumped into one another and went on to share their mutual admiration for one another. “I love you. I am a fucking fan,” said Rihanna to Portman. “You’re one of the hottest bitches in Hollywood forever! You do the most innocent look, and I’m like, ‘Ugh’.”

In the clips – which soon went viral – Portman responded by saying “I’m gonna faint. I’m gonna black out! I love you and I listen to your music all the time and you’re just such a queen, thank you!”

They also took time to take photos together, before Rihanna told the Black Swan actor that she doesn’t “get excited about anybody”, but was excited about meeting her.

Rihanna praising Natalie Portman backstage at the Dior show during Paris Fashion Week today:

“You’re one of the hottest bitchies in Hollywood forever. You do the most innocent look and I’m like AHHHH”. pic.twitter.com/AEru82Sywj

— Natalie Portman Updates (@nportmanonline) January 22, 2024

Now, Portman has looked back at the moment during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and recalled what the moment meant to her.

“It was an amazing experience for me,” she said. “Every woman going through divorce should get to have Rihanna say to her that she’s a bad bitch. It was exactly what I needed.”

“It was a big deal, it was a formative moment in my life.”

The divorce she alluded to was her recent split from husband Benjamin Millepied back in February. The two had been married for 11 years. Watch the full interview below, with the discussion around Rihanna coming around the two-minute mark.

Rihanna and Portman’s encounter also came as the two of them both received nods during the latest award season. At the 81st Golden Globe Awards, Portman was nominated for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for her role as Elizabeth in the 2023 Todd Haynes film, May December. The prize, however, was ultimately given to Emma Stone for her role in Yorgos Lanthimos’ surreal comedy-drama, Poor Things.

On the other hand, Rihanna’s Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show won two awards at the recent Creative Arts Emmy awards, namely for Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special and Outstanding Direction for a Variety Special, earning Jay-Z his first Emmy award as a director.

Since then, Rihanna has gone on to discuss details about her forthcoming, highly-anticipated album, and said that ‘R9’ will be one that sees her “starting over”.