Natalie Portman got an ego boost from Rihanna post-Benjamin Millepied divorce
Natalie Portman is getting her groove back with a little help from Rihanna.
The "May December" actress appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" Monday night and talked meeting the "Work" singer for the first time at Paris Men's Fashion Week in January.
Portman, 43, recalled meeting Rihanna, 36, with the pair fangirling over each other, as seen in a video shared by Bustle at the time. Rihanna called Portman "one of the hottest" women in Hollywood.
"I think every woman going through a divorce should get to have Rihanna say to her that she's a bad" woman, Portman told Fallon. "It was exactly what I needed."
Natalie Portman gushes about 'Bluey' guest role, calls it her 'most important' performance
"That's a big deal," Fallon said, with the "Black Swan" star doubling down. "It was a formative moment in my life," she said.
In video from the interaction, the pair embraced, with Portman gushing that she loves the Bajan singer. Rihanna returned the adoration by giving the "Lady in the Lake" actress her flowers and gushing over Portman's scene-stealing ability.
"You give the most innocent look, and I'm like, ugh!" Rihanna said, pretending to fall out.
"I'm gonna black out," Portman said. "I love you and I listen to your music all the time."
"I don't get excited about anybody," Rihanna returned.
The interaction came amid Portman's divorce from Benjamin Millepied after 11 years of marriage. The actress quietly filed for divorce from the 47-year-old French dancer in July 2023, according to People.
In March, a rep for Portman confirmed to USA TODAY that she and Millepied finalized their divorce in France, where the couple had lived, the previous month.
The pair married in August 2012 after meeting on the set of 2010's "Black Swan," with Portman in the lead role while Millepied served as choreographer for the psychological horror film. They share two kids, Aleph, 13, and Amalia, 7.
Natalie Portman and husband Benjamin Millepied finalize divorce after 11 years of marriage
Speculation about the couple's marriage and rumors about Millepied's infidelity surfaced in the lead-up to Portman's film "May December," which the actress tersely addressed in an interview with Vanity Fair in February.
"It's terrible, and I have no desire to contribute to it," she said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Natalie Portman says Rihanna gave her a post-divorce ego boost
