Natalie Portman has heaped praise on Charles Melton, her May December co-star.
Natalie Portman thinks there’s a “soulfulness and intricacy” to Charles Melton’s acting.
The Oscar-winning actress starred alongside Charles, 35, in May December, the 2023 comedy-drama film, and Natalie has admitted to being wowed by her co-star’s talent.
Natalie, 45, told TIME: “I first saw Charles Melton’s work in his audition for May December. I was blown away by his performance.
“You can almost forget his physical beauty because there’s so much soulfulness and intricacy in what he’s doing, acting-wise.
“All of a sudden, he just embodies this guy who isn’t confident and doesn’t feel good in his skin, and you believe it.”
Natalie recalled being impressed by Charles’ work ethic and his professional approach.
The movie star said: “On set, Charles was eager to get as much as he could out of the experience — including arriving early to work with director Todd Haynes and on his own — which showed a lot of sophistication and an artistic sensitivity.”
Natalie hailed Charles for making “smart” career choices, observing that the actor has got “excellent taste”.
The actress shared: “Charles is making smart choices in his career, working with such interesting directors and following his own curiosity to projects like Beef.
“He’s just got excellent taste. He’s thoughtful, precise, and hardworking both as a colleague and a human. And best of all? He has that rare ability to be a very serious artist and a very good person at the same time.”
Charles recently claimed that his sporting background has given him a strong sense of “discipline”.
The actor played American football at Kansas State University during his academic days, and Charles believes those experiences have helped him in the film world.
The Hollywood star – whose father worked for the US military – explained to Bustle: “I think sports has implemented a discipline in my life, alongside the upbringing from my father.
“You know, when you think of the minutia of sports and the preparation that goes into getting ready for the season or watching a film, understanding your opponents, knowing the playbook, visualisation, teamwork — I think all that stuff kind of fed into my own individual practice as an actor because I never went to school or anything.”
Charles moved around a lot as a child, because of his dad’s military career. And the actor admits that those experiences have shaped the man he’s become.
He explained: “All the kids I went to school with, we knew this wasn’t going to be the forever home. And maybe one of our parents was away at war while we were living overseas on a military base.
“I don’t know, it’s like there’s no such thing as social awkwardness. Or you’re desensitised to it because you know you won’t be in this place for too long. So why worry about what someone may think of you?”
Natalie Portman hails Charles Melton’s ‘soulfulness’
