In Vox Lux, Natalie Portman plays a massive pop star who’s eccentric, erratic, and downright fascinating. Sound familiar? Although director Brady Corbet and Portman both insist her character Celeste is really a combination of famous artists, perhaps there’s one person fans will recognize in Celeste.
“If anything, I feel like the character’s closest to Kanye West,†Corbet tells Vulture at AFI Fest’s film screening. “Oh! That’s a good example!†Portman adds. “That’s funny that he said that! I wasn’t thinking Kanye but now that he said it I totally could see it.â€
But neither say “Kanye†like it’s a bad thing. “I love his work,†Corbet says. “I’m sort of fascinated by his persona. I don’t know what to take seriously or not, to be honest, so I don’t ever find anything he says to be particularly offensive.†You listening, ‘Ye? “We’ll see. Hopefully he likes it.â€
Still, Celeste isn’t specifically inspired by West or any other star. “The idea was that the character would be sort of an amalgamation of many, many, many, different real-life personages. There are certain character traits or parts of the story that evoke real-life people,†Corbet explains. “You never want people to take the comparison the wrong way. The character is a fictional character so I wouldn’t end up insulting anyone.â€
Portman agrees, saying, “I don’t really see it as one [person] … I really see different sides because, you know, the relationship with her sister is different, having a kid and having this period where she’s having troubles with substances, and, like, the desire to shock.†One thing that may certainly shock audiences? That accent.