美国国家公共电台 NPR Natalie Portman Is 'Lucy In The Sky,' With An Existential Crisis

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

Natalie Portman has played lots of different royalty¹, from a galactic Queen in "Star Wars" to a first lady in "Jackie". But in the new movie, "Lucy In The Sky", Portman plays a member of an even more rarefied club - an astronaut named Lucy Cola. Lucy, when we meet her, is one of the first female astronauts to venture into space. But her adjustment back to Earth is uneasy. And she quickly spirals out of control.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "LUCY IN THE SKY")

NATALIE PORTMAN: (As Lucy Cola) You know how it is. You go up there. You see everything - the whole universe - and then you splash down. And - what? - you go to Applebee's? - you know, Monday Night Football, clip your toenails?

GARCIA-NAVARRO: The character is inspired by the real story of astronaut Lisa Nowak, who was charged with attempted kidnapping in 2007 of the then-girlfriend of a man with whom she was having an affair. "Lucy In The Sky" is directed by Noah Hawley, who joins me now, along with Natalie Portman. Welcome to the program.

NOAH HAWLEY: Thank you.

PORTMAN: Hi.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Natalie, I want to start with you, so you can talk to us a little bit about your character Lucy. In this film, she was recruited by NASA from the Naval² Academy. It seems like there's nothing she can't do. What drives her?

PORTMAN: Lucy is one of those kids who will do everything to succeed. You can feel it, but she's kind of been pushed to just be this high achiever, making-everyone-proud kind of figure in their family.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah, thumb their nose at the Ivy-Leaguers, like...

PORTMAN: Exactly.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah. She's got a chip on her shoulder.

PORTMAN: But yeah, she certainly has a lot of bottled-up pressure, for sure.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: And then she goes to space. Remind us how that changes her.

PORTMAN: Well, it's so remarkable³ that this moment that can be the most beautiful moment of her life - and probably is the most beautiful moment of most astronauts' lives - is also the moment when they face the smallness of everything they've ever known and everyone they've ever known because they see how the Earth is situated⁴ and how small it is and how they can literally⁵ cover it with their outstretched hand. And so to have those simultaneous experiences, I think, can be pretty jarring.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Noah, this story is based loosely on a real person. I want to read a headline from the A.V. Club, which is, "Why Make The Astronaut-In-A-Diaper Movie If You Don't Want To Show The Astronaut In A Diaper?" And so I have to ask you about why you decided⁶ not to include that.

HAWLEY: I find it interesting because I've seen those kinds of headlines, as well. And I think it says a lot about the people who are writing them.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Explain.

HAWLEY: Well, for me, what was interesting was the realization⁷ that behind every tabloid⁸ story are human beings with dignity, who've made mistakes, who failed, maybe even ruined everything. And we've reduced them to a punchline⁹. So when I see those headlines, what it makes me think is that, you know, there's a segment of society that's not OK with that, that need those people to be punchlines for whatever reason.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Natalie, do you think that female characters or complicated stories about women can sometimes be reduced to a punchline in that way that Noah was talking about?

PORTMAN: I think that often, female characters are reduced to single-word descriptive possibilities - you know, I think people talk a lot about strong women or badass women or tough women or victims or villains¹⁰...

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Or psychos or crazy people...

PORTMAN: Yeah, psychos - yeah, exactly. I mean, there's almost like a genre¹¹ of films about like men who are, like, lovable but curmudgeons¹². Or, like, you know, there's so many male characters that are, like, contradictory¹³ qualities, which is the most human kind of behavior, in my view.

HAWLEY: Look. I find it interesting that there's two movies coming out this weekend about characters having a psychological decline that ends in violence. And he gets to be called Joker with a capital J, but she's just supposed to be a joke.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Noah, listening to you speak, I can hear you're very protective of this character. And I'm wondering how that translates as a male director directing a film that is so centered on the female experience. Was there something that you went into this thinking, you know, I have to really be thoughtful about the way that this is portrayed¹⁵ and that you felt you were the right person to tell this story?

HAWLEY: You know, I thought a lot about the male gaze - especially since it's a film that has an affair at the center of it - and the way that that might normally be portrayed by a filmmaker. And in making an experiential movie from her point of view, to also cinematically represent the female gaze. The romance or the sex at the heart of it is not - it's not about the act itself, as much about the feelings that go with it. And the editing of the film, the calibrating¹⁶ of the journey was one of the hardest parts, just in terms of shaping the audience's journey because there's never a moment that I want you to step outside and judge her.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I ask also because, Natalie, you made a comment at the Golden Globes last year about the fact that the category for best directors was all male nominees¹⁷ and that there is still, obviously, a lack of female directors in Hollywood. So when you come into a project like this with Noah, is there a discussion beforehand? Are you more intentional¹⁸ now about who you work with?

PORTMAN: It's actually really disturbing to me when people ask male directors how they feel telling a female story, if they can do it. And I'm like, we take it for granted that they can tell stories about serial¹⁹ killers²¹. Like, if you can get into the mind of a serial killer²⁰, why can't you get into the mind of a woman? The problem - and I don't think there's anything qualitatively²² different about women directors or men directors, except that women directors get way fewer opportunities. So yes, I am very conscious of working with female directors. I am a female director. I think women directors need more opportunities at every level. And the more disturbing thing is male directors who only tell stories about men because then I feel like they do not consider female stories as human stories.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I do want to point out how novel this movie is - I mean, because it is about a female astronaut, and that is a rarity. We've seen several space movies this year about men, like "Ad Astra" and "High Life". Was that - and this is to both of you - something on your mind while making this that that was, you know, very important to show the real and important contribution that women have made to space exploration?

HAWLEY: Definitely. I think if I'd been offered the male version of this film, I wouldn't have found it that interesting just because I've seen so many versions of it. And, you know, Brad Pitt is having his existential crisis in space right now. And...

PORTMAN: (Laughter).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yes, he is.

HAWLEY: You know, And what's interesting is, you know, whether or not people liked that movie, they don't question its right to exist. This story, obviously, you know, is a story that is meant to portray¹⁴ the reality of experience of, you know, someone who has a existential crisis, basically, and makes mistakes and, on some level, ruins everything. And there's nothing more human than that, you know? There's no redemption without the fall. So, you know, I think that that's what was appealing.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Natalie, I read that you actually do want to be an astronaut.

PORTMAN: It might be a little too late for me, but I definitely dreamed of it as a kid. And, you know, if there was some fast-track opportunity (laughter)...

GARCIA-NAVARRO: NASA, if you're listening...

PORTMAN: ...I would certainly take it.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: "Lucy In The Sky" is directed by Noah Hawley and stars Natalie Portman. Thank you both so very much.

PORTMAN: Thank you.

HAWLEY: Thanks.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

2 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

3 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

4 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

5 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 realization   

n.实现；认识到，深刻了解

参考例句：

• We shall gladly lend every effort in our power toward its realization.我们将乐意为它的实现而竭尽全力。
• He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.他逐渐认识到自己永远不会成为好老师。

8 tabloid   

adj.轰动性的，庸俗的；n.小报，文摘

参考例句：

• He launched into a verbal assault on tabloid journalism.他口头对小报新闻进行了抨击。
• He believes that the tabloid press has behaved disgracefully.他认为小报媒体的行为不太光彩。

9 punchline   

n.（笑话、故事等的）结尾警语，点睛之笔

参考例句：

• Even then,the magical pause can strengthen the punchline.即使这样，有魔力的停顿依然可以增强笑点。
• A good joke or a mystery novel has along wind up to the final punchline.好的笑话或神秘小说都是一路曲折，直至最后的笑料或真相。

10 villains   

n.恶棍( villain的名词复数 )；罪犯；（小说、戏剧等中的）反面人物；淘气鬼

参考例句：

• The impression of villains was inescapable. 留下恶棍的印象是不可避免的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some villains robbed the widow of the savings. 有几个歹徒将寡妇的积蓄劫走了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

12 curmudgeons   

n.坏脾气的人，吝啬鬼，守财奴( curmudgeon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

13 contradictory   

adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立

参考例句：

• The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
• What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。

14 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

15 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 calibrating   

v.校准( calibrate的现在分词 )；使标准化；使合标准；测量（枪的）口径

参考例句：

• The value of the threshold strain is determined by calibrating the coating. 阈值应变的数值是靠对涂层进行标定测出来的。 来自辞典例句
• Dewpoint hygrometers provide an absolute measurement of humidity and therefore are essentially self-calibrating. 露点湿度计可提供湿度的绝对量测值，因此它基本上是自动标定的。 来自辞典例句

17 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

18 intentional   

adj.故意的，有意（识）的

参考例句：

• Let me assure you that it was not intentional.我向你保证那不是故意的。
• His insult was intentional.他的侮辱是有意的。

19 serial   

n.连本影片，连本电视节目；adj.连续的

参考例句：

• A new serial is starting on television tonight.今晚电视开播一部新的电视连续剧。
• Can you account for the serial failures in our experiment?你能解释我们实验屡屡失败的原因吗？

20 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

21 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

22 qualitatively   

质量上

参考例句：

• In other words, you are to analyze them quantitatively and qualitatively. 换句话说，你们要对它们进行量和质的分析。
• Electric charge may be detected qualitatively by sprinkling or blowing indicating powders. 静电荷可以用撒布指示粉剂的方法，予以探测。