(JTA) — Israeli-born actress Natalie Portman said she will not attend the Academy Awards due to her pregnancy.
Portman was nominated for a Best Actress award for her portrayal of Jacqueline Kennedy, the wife of assassinated president John F. Kennedy, in the movie “Jackie.”
“Due to my pregnancy, I am unable to attend the Independent Spirit Awards and the Academy Awards,” said Portman, 35, in a statement issued over the weekend. “I feel so lucky to be honored among my fellow nominees and wish them the most beautiful of weekends.”
She was pregnant with her first child, Aleph, now 5, when she won the Oscar for best actress in 2011 for her performance in “Black Swan.”
Portman and husband, French dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied, 39, who coached her in ballet on the set of “Black Swan,” live in Los Angeles.
Portman has been showing her baby bump on red carpets including the Venice Film Festival in September and the Golden Globe Awards, and has said the baby is due “in spring.”
The Academy Awards ceremony will take place Sunday evening at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.
