Natalie Portman has admitted that she regrets supporting filmmaker Roman Polanski by signing a petition calling for his release from Swiss custody nine years ago.
Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor in 1977.
'I very much regret it. I take responsibility for not thinking about it enough,' the actress told Buzzfeed News.
'Someone I respected gave it to me, and said, "I signed this. Will you, too?" And I was like, "Sure".'
The controversial petition - made public in 2009 - demanded the immediate release of Polanski after the director was detained days earlier in Switzerland on a warrant for his 1977 underage sex case in the US, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which he fled before sentencing.
High-profile signatories included Martin Scorsese, Tilda Swinton and Woody Allen.
Portman - who is an advocate for women's rights and vocal supporter of the Time's Up initiative - revealed she signed it out a mistaken feeling of empathy.
'It was a mistake. The thing I feel like I gained from it is empathy towards people who have made mistakes,' the star continued.
'We lived in a different world, and that doesn't excuse anything. But you can have your eyes opened and completely change the way you want to live. My eyes were not open.'
Portman also reflected on the moment she announced the Golden Globe nominees for best director alongside Ron Howard by glibly declaring: 'And here are the all-male nominees.'
The moment was pre-planned, according to Portman, who explained: 'I discussed with some of the women I've been working with that they had offered to me to present the director category, but I felt uncomfortable because it seemed to be excluding some deserving nominees.'
She continued: 'And how could I bring attention to it without disrespecting the nominees? Because it's not their fault, and they all made great work.
'You don't want to not recognise them. It's just, why aren't we recognising the people who aren't part of this exclusive club? So one of the women recommended I say that, and it felt like stating something that was true.'
Portman acknowledged a feeling of discomfort after she made the comment at the award ceremony, but she says in order for there to be progress for women and gender equality, 'we have to make it weird for people to walk in a room where everyone's not in the room'.
'If you look around, and everyone's not in the room, change that room,' she concluded.
Portman has previously spoken about having '100 stories' of sexual harassment, although she has stated that she was never assaulted.
Naomi Gordon is news writer mainly covering entertainment news with a focus on celebrity interviews and television.
