Natalie Portman says she was sexualised at 12 years old: 'It made me afraid'

Natalie Portman has opened up about being portrayed as a "Lolita figure" when she was growing up in the spotlight as a child star.

The Oscar-winning actress, 39, appeared on an episode of the podcast Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, and talked about being sexualised at 12 years old in the film Léon: The Professional and Beautiful Girls two years later.

"Being sexualised as a child took away from my own sexuality because it made me afraid," the actress said.

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Portman believed those earlier experiences changed how she carried herself in her adult years.

"So many people had this impression of me that I was super-serious and a prude and conservative as I got older," Portman told Shepard. "I consciously cultivated that because it was a way to make me feel safe. If someone respects you, they're not going to objectify you."

The actress admitted to building fortresses in order to keep herself feeling safe.

"You're told as a girl and a woman that you're supposed to want to [be objectified], and that it's a good thing, people finding you attractive or people thinking you're sexy," she said. "These words that we use around young girls in particular — and then it's complicated because it doesn't necessarily always make you feel good or feel safe."

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Portman's career skyrocketed since her roles as a teenager. She has starred in blockbuster films like Black Swan, Thor, and V for Vendetta.