Bringing former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy to life on film was never meant to be an ordinary task, but then again, Natalie Portman is no ordinary actress. Since her breakout role in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, she has amassed a diverse body of work loaded with strong characters. She adds to her portfolio her performance in the new biopic “Jackie,” a role that has earned the Oscar-winning actress another Academy Award nomination. Critics have noted the strength and commitment that she brought to the part, but it is that same strength and commitment that is evident throughout Natalie Portman’s charity work with WE.
Formerly known as Free the Children, WE is an international nonprofit based in Canada. The organization’s mission is to create community developments in some of the poorest parts of the world. It focuses on education, clean water, health, food, and providing entrepreneurial opportunities. Natalie Portman had the chance to witness first-hand the impact the organization is making when she visited Kenya in 2015 to help build a girls’ school.
Natalie Portman’s charity work with WE grew out of a desire to do something meaningful. She was inspired by the emphasis that the organization placed on the education of young girls and she understood that education is one of the keys to bringing an end to poverty. The Kisaruni All Girls Secondary School, an equivalent of American high school, was the first secondary school for girls in its region. In addition to the construction of the school, WE also helps students pay for their schooling and even provides transportation by use of a train.
Prior to her Kenya visit, Portman used her celebrity status to fundraise for the organization. Spurred by the success of the film “The Black Swan,” she donated a designer dress she wore to one of the film’s premieres for “The Power of a Girl” initiative in 2011. The fundraiser was an attempt to encourage young girls across North America and Europe to help other young girls around the world.
She continued her use of designers in her fundraising in 2012, when she designed a shade of lipstick for fashion house Dior. All proceeds from the sale of the exclusive shade went toward 24 full scholarships for a new school that the organization built in Kenya. Natalie Portman’s charity work led her to partner with watch designer Richard Mille in 2014. Together the duo created a limited edition set of 20 watches that retailed for more than $500,000 each for the organization.
While many actresses of her ilk use their fashion endorsements to further their own brands, Portman chooses instead to further the future of young girls. Rather than make money from high profile partnerships, she seems more than comfortable doling it out to a cause that speaks to her. Her level of commitment has made her an effective ambassador for the WE organization, just as it has allowed her to tackle the portrayal of one of the world’s most famous women in the movie Jackie. In a sense her role as ambassador is very similar to her role as Jackie; they’re both inspiring.
– Jeffery Silvey
Photo: Flickr