Natalie Portman Spotted Getting Cheeky With Paul Mescal in London Bar After Benjamin Millepied Divorce
Natalie Portman has a new pep in her step following her February divorce from Benjamin Millepied! The Black Swan actress was spotted in high spirits with actor Paul Mescal at Bar 69 in London on Tuesday, May 28.
Natalie, 42, and Paul, 28, stepped outside of the pub during the day for a cigarette break and a curbside chat, as seen in photos published by Daily Mail. The pair’s conversation was seemingly intriguing on both ends as the Star Wars starlet and Normal People actor both flashed cheeky smiles while laughing with a cigarette in hand.
The May December actress sported a casual outfit including light wash jeans, a white T-shirt and matching sneakers. Paul wore a similar ensemble that consisted of black trousers, a matching belt and a white T-shirt tucked into his trousers.
This isn’t the first time that Natalie and Paul have been ?spotted together. In December 2023, the Hollywood stars were paired together for Variety’s “Actors on Actors” segment. Right off the bat, the All of Us Strangers ?star tipped his hat off to Natalie’s award-winning acting career for over 30 years and applauded her “brilliant” performance in May December.
Later in the segment Paul admitted, “If my grammar school self knew that I would be talking to you, I would pinch myself many, many times.” Needless to say, the two had undeniable chemistry during their on-camera interview and saw eye-to-eye on how to effectively tell their character’s stories in their movies and TV shows.
Six months before Natalie’s interview with Paul, rumors swirled that her now ex-husband Benjamin, 46, cheated on her with Camille ètienne. Neither of the two publicly addressed the infidelity claims. However, a source exclusively told Life & Style that “Natalie was so hurt.”
“She felt she’d made so many sacrifices throughout their marriage in order to make Benjamin happy, only for him to make a fool out of her,” the source said in July 2023. “Natalie wants to see if they can save this. She is trying. It’s just that the pain is still very fresh.”
That said, reconciliation wasn’t in the cards for Natalie and Benjamin after a second source exclusively told Life & Style in January that she was “pulling the plug on her marriage.”
"They went to counseling, and at one point, Natalie thought she could make it work for the children’s sake,” the source revealed. “She desperately wanted to keep her family together, but at the end of the day, the trust that she and Benjamin had shared was irrevocably broken.”
In March, People reported that Natalie filed for divorce in France in July 2023 and it was finalized in February. They share kids Aleph, 12, and Amalia, 7.
