Inside the Culture Pages of New York Magazine’s November 28–December 11, 2016 issue is a preview of this year’s Oscars race, including Michael Shannon; Barry Jenkins’s return to himself; La La Land’s tricky party scene; and more. For the cover story, contributing editor Boris Kachka talks to Natalie Portman about her role in Jackie, in which she revives Jacqueline Kennedy, a woman whose private resolve and public grace may have held the nation together in a time of political turmoil.
Earlier this year, L.A.-based photographer and director Alex Prager, who shot Portman for the issue, had an exhibition called “La Grande Sortie,” debuting her film collaboration with the Paris Opera Ballet, where she also worked with Benjamin Millepied, Portman’s husband. For the cover image, New York Magazine photography director Jody Quon says, “We wanted something very cinematic and to tap into Alex’s unique directorial approach, bridging film and still photography.”