Latest news with #BenjaminMillepied

AU Financial Review
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- AU Financial Review
Brisbane scores coup with trilogy from a contemporary master of dance
Benjamin Millepied has made a life out of movement. The French-born dancer turned choreographer spent his early childhood in Senegal, where his father was an Olympic track-and-field coach. It was here that Millepied first understood the unshakeable connection between dance and music – elements that have remained inseparable to him today. 'Movement was part of life … a very organic way of experiencing life,' he explains on a call from Nice ahead of bringing his contemporary ballet triptych Gems to Australia.


Daily Mail
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Natalie Portman's rarely seen son, 13, calls in mom to impress YouTube star
Natalie Portman left a YouTube star speechless thanks to her 13-year-old son. The Oscar winner, 44, who recently stunned at the Dior show in Rome, lives in Paris with her two children, Aleph, 13, and Amalia, eight, whom she shares with ex-husband Benjamin Millepied, 48. Her oldest was having a fanboy moment with the YouTuber Marlon LuGu, when he name dropped his mom. 'You know Star Wars? Padme Amidala?' the teen asked the 23-year-old Swedish social media star, whose full name is Marlon Lundgren Garcia. 'Well, that's my mom.' he revealed, asking: 'Can you give a shoutout to my mom?' The verify his claim, Aleph shared some family photos from his phone. 'That's your mom?!' Marlon asked in disbelief to which the middle schooler replied, 'Yeah, that's my mom.' The streamer quickly took the opportunity to say 'hi' to the Black Swan star. After Aleph called his mother, the actress' face popped up on the screen and he said, 'Mom, do you want to say hi to Marlon?' He then handed to the phone to the social media star, who said: 'Hi, I'm sorry for disturbing you, I just want to say hi real quick.' 'Nice to meet you,' she said. 'Nice to meet you,' Marlon replied. 'I'm here with your son real quick, we're about to play a little football.' 'I'm sorry I can't hear anything,' said the star who was having her hair done. 'But I hope you're having a great day.' 'Appreciate you,' Marlon replied and then after a little more small talk Portman bid him adieu by saying, 'have a good one.' 'You know Star Wars ? Padme Amidala?' the teen asked the social media star while he was making some content. 'Well, that's my mom.' he revealed, asking, 'Can you give a shoutout to my mom?' Portman has kept her children largely out of the spotlight since moving to France in 2014. After the brief exchange, the YouTuber turned to his 395,000 subscribers and admitted he was floored. 'When I was growing up and watched Star Wars really heavily, she was my biggest crush,' he said. 'Very beautiful woman. Very good son. I just want to respectfully say that. That's insane.' In past interviews, she's credited the country's culture with giving her family more privacy. 'They're very good at privacy here,' she told Net-a-Porter. 'I feel like the biggest compliment is 'elle est très discrète' ['she is very discreet'],' She also praised the way French children are raised. 'All the kids that come to my house are like, 'Bonjour Madame,' and give me the [cheek-to-cheek kiss],' she said. 'And before they leave, they say, 'Thank you for having me.' If I'm not nearby, they'll come find me to say it.'


Time Out
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Australia's largest international art festival just dropped its 2025 program – here's what to expect
Brisbane 's pink and white banners are flying once again, signalling the return of the country's biggest international arts festival. Spanning 23 gloriously jam-packed days from September 5 to 27, Brisbane Festival 2025 will offer a smorgasbord of 1,000-plus performances, featuring more than 500 free events and 21 world premieres. Wowza! There's heaps to get hyped about this year, starting with Riverfire, when the city's biggest firework spectacular explodes over the Brisbane River. We're also super excited for the return of First Nations-designed drone show Skylore, plus the transformation of three of Brisbane's most popular pedestrian bridges into a spectacular open-air art trail, featuring inflatable installations and colourful projections designed by internationally renowned Aussie artists Craig & Karl. This year, Brisbane Festival has secured four Australian exclusives, including Gems – a world premiere dance trilogy by internationally renowned choreographer Benjamin Millepied and LA Dance Project, and 100 Guitars – an immersive sound experience featuring 100 electric guitarists from around the city. But the world premiere we're absolutely stocked for is Afterglow – a mesmerising journey through a dreamscape of fire sculpture, candlelit artworks and live performances in the City Botanic Gardens. Sounds lit, right? Theatre lovers can look forward to a joyous Tina Turner tribute by drag icon Miss Ellaneous (Ben Graetz), the reawakening of Twelfth Night Theatre for sell-out cabaret Gatsby at the Green Light, a pop-fuelled reimagining of A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shake & Stir (titled The Lovers), and so much more. Seriously, you'll need a solid 30 minutes to scroll through the program. More into music? Festivalgoers can catch Australia's biggest names at Night at the Parkland – an epic outdoor concert under the stars featuring the likes of Icehouse, Lime Cordiale, Xavier Rudd and Amy Shark. Other Aussie favourites to look out for on this year's program include Kate Miller-Heidke, Sarah Blasko and Winston Surfshirt, plus the return of Brisbane Serenades – a series of free outdoor concerts across the city. Is it just us or is everyone else buzzing with excitement overload? You can explore the full Brisbane Festival program – did we mention more than a third of the events are free? – and get your tickets here. 🤘🏾
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Natalie Portman 'lost' an iconic prop she took from the Star Wars set
Natalie Portman has "lost" one of Anakin Skywalker's braids from 'Star Wars'. The 43-year-old actress - who rose to fame as Padme Amidala in the space saga's prequel trilogy between 1999 and 2005 - has revealed she took a piece of hair belonging to co-star Hayden Christensen when filming wrapped on 'Episode III - Revenge of the Sith' as a souvenir two decades ago, but she has no idea where it is anymore. During an interview on Tuesday (20.05.25) with UK TV show 'This Morning' on ITV, she said: "I took one of the Anakin braids at the end of shooting... "They were all clip-on things, and there were many of them obviously, because they had to do it every day. "So, I took one them - but I don;t have it anymore. I lost it... I shiuldn't even have admitted that!" Natalie also confirmed she would gladly return to the 'Star Wars' - which is still expanding on Disney+ and the big screen - although there have been no talks yet. She added: "Sure! No one's asked me, so I don't wanna start any rumours! I'm open to all of it, yeah!" Natalie - who has son Aleph, 13, and daughter Amalia, eight, with ex-husband Benjamin Millepied - admitted her children are the "main" inspiration behind any projects she takes on at this stage of her career. She said: "Oh, one hundred percent! It's a main, main driver of my decisions." That's true of her latest movie 'Fountain of Youth', and she's excited for her kids to be able to watch one of her films - even if they're not always "interested" in seeing her on screen. She quipped: "They're not actually that interested in seeing stuff that I've made. I think it's a little weird for them to have mom be someone else too. "And also, I haven't had that many experiences because not many of the films I've been in have been appropriate!"


Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Natalie Portman flashes her abs in a bikini next to a mystery man as she takes a dip in the south of France
Natalie Portman was letting her hair down as she modeled a skimpy black bikini in the south of France on Sunday. Portman showed off her incredible physique as she had abs and sculpted arms with strong legs as she walked barefoot around the coast. The Star Wars veteran was with a mystery man at hotel Eden Roc during the Cannes Film Festival. Natalie recently premiered Arco - the Ugo Bienvenu-directed animation movie - at the Cannes Film Festival. The 43-year-old Lady In The Lake actress, who had a brief relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal in 2006, was earlier this year dating French musician Tanguy Destable. That relationship marked Portman's first romance since her split with ex-husband Benjamin Millepied. The actress and the choreographer started dating after they met on the set of Black Swan in 2009 and announced they were engaged the following year. The former couple tied the knot in 2012 and welcomed two children together: Aleph and Amalia. They finalized their divorce in February 2024 after media reports of an extramarital affair by Millepied in 2023. Her ex has moved on. Portman is reportedly not 'surprised' her ex-husband Millepied started a new romance 'pretty quickly' after their divorce. The Black Swan actress met her choreographer ex-husband, 47, on the set of the ballet drama in 2009 before they tied the knot in 2012. A source shared how she is feeling after he was snapped kissing a mystery woman. The insider told Us Weekly: 'Natalie isn't surprised that Benjamin has moved on because of how their relationship ended. She thought he'd move on pretty quickly. '(Natalie) hopes Benjamin is happy.' Another insider told the publication: 'Benjamin's dating life doesn't really have any bearing on Natalie. 'She's super happy in her life right now and has been prioritizing family and friends.' And yet another source told Page Six: 'Natalie doesn't really care who Benjamin is dating. She moved on a long time ago.' As she turned 43 in June 2024, Natalie thanked friends for lifting her spirits 'again and again'. Portman had on no jewelry for her dip in the Mediterranean. Cannes, a resort town on the French Riviera, is famed for its international film festival. Its Boulevard de la Croisette, curving along the coast, is lined with sandy beaches, upmarket boutiques and palatial hotels Behind her was a kayak and paddle board She said in a message on her Instagram: 'This year, on my birthday, I want to celebrate my gratitude for my friends who lift me up again and again.' Natalie accompanied the message with a carousel of photos showing her on adventures with friends and relatives over the years. Her A-list pals flooded the comments section of the post to send birthday greetings, with 'Black-ish' actress Tracee Ellis Ross writing: '@natalieportman happy birthday gorgeous lady.' Comic Mindy Kaling added: 'Happy birthday, beautiful! ', while actress Reese Witherspoon said: 'Happy Birthday, you incredible diamond of a human! I love you.' And actress Isla Fisher – who said she and her ex-husband Sacha Baron Cohen had secretly filed for divorce in 2023 – added: 'Ports I love you. Happy Birthday I'm so grateful you were born.' She filed for a split from her ex in July 2023 amid reports from Page Six he had allegedly cheated on her with a then-25-year-old woman named Camille Étienne. Natalie and Benjamin initially separated in 2022 but worked through their marital issues before their marriage collapsed. The former couple have two children: son Aleph, 13, and seven-year-old daughter Amalia. Last month Portman said she is drawn to roles depending on what's happening in her personal life. The actress revealed her divorce impacted her work during a conversation with Jenna Ortega, 22, following their collaboration in upcoming film The Gallerist. Speaking to Jenna for Interview magazine, she said: 'You want to find that joy and lightness and humor in your work when things are harder at home.' The two actors also discussed their experiences growing up in the spotlight and how their careers have evolved over time. Natalie added about how her life circumstances often influence her approach to acting roles. She said: 'There are things that come at certain times of your life. 'There's moments in your life where it's really meaningful to have a work experience that just envelopes you in happiness, and this was one of those.' Natalie continued: 'It doesn't always work out, but I'm drawn to things because of what's happening in my personal life.' When asked whether she prioritizes character or script when selecting new roles, Natalie replied: 'I learned from actresses that came before me who said, 'It's important to go for joy.' Natalie laughed as she dove off the board. Her feet went up and her arms went up Though she did not mention Benjamin by name or directly reference the divorce during the interview, Natalie said: 'I was just excited to have kids, and with a person that I was in love with,' when asked about how motherhood had impacted her career. Natalie is set to star in the upcoming film Fountain of Youth opposite John Krasinski. The Apple TV+ feature follows two estranged siblings reuniting in search of the mythical source of eternal life and will be released on May 23. Meanwhile, The Gallerist does not yet have a confirmed release date. When asked what excites her most at this stage in life, Natalie said: 'My kids are always a source of excitement, because you just see them develop into the individuals they are. 'And also, I've been spending a lot of time with my friends, with their kids and my kids; that's pretty fun.' She also said her films are 'usually not appropriate' for her children. The Oscar-winning actress loves that her children will actually get to watch The Fountain Of Youth The star told Extra: 'They have not seen it yet and I can't wait to show it to them because A, I like never get to show my kids my movies because they're usually not appropriate, and then B, it's so fun. 'I think they're gonna have the best time watching it.' Natalie also relished the experience of working alongside John, describing him as a 'great actor'. The celebrity duo have actually known each other since they were children, and Natalie loved being reunited with her showbiz pal. She said: 'I get John Krasinski as my brother, who's, like, the greatest and so funny and such a great actor. 'I think it's so fun to have a brother-sister relationship at the centre of the film. I think it's quite unusual in this kind of adventure and makes sense for 'Fountain of Youth' to be with someone that has known you since you're a child.' The actress feels excited to have so many different projects being released at the same time. The Hollywood star said: 'It's been incredible to have so many things I care about kind of emerge in the world at the same time. 'To have Arco, a film we produced, which is animated, first feature by Ugo Bienvenu, and we're so, so proud of it, and it debuted to such love and appreciation, so it was an incredible moment.' Meanwhile, Natalie previously admitted that she's making a conscious effort to 'impress' her children with her career choices. The actress - who previously starred as Jane Foster in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - told Variety in 2022: 'I feel like it's the phase of my career where I'm really trying to just impress my kids.'