Natalie Portman says Hollywood 'misinterprets' feminism as roles are written by men

Oscar-winning actress says feminism is not just being good at kung fu

Natalie Portman arriving at the Premiere of Thor: The Dark World in London (PA)

Natalie Portman has claimed that "feminism is misinterpreted" in Hollywood films because most roles for women are written by men.

The Oscar-winning actress suggested that because characters are often "just a fantasy of a male writer", the women can keep up with the men in a physical sense, but they don't have fully formed personalities.

At the premiere of Thor: The Dark World in Leicester Square, she told Sky News: "I don't think that's necessarily feminist to see women like we see men in movies.

"Just having a range of different ways women can be - whether it's weak and strong, just being human and being real, and not just being some fantasy of a male writer - is more feminist than 'she knows how to do kung fu'."

Portman said her character Jane, who has a cross-dimensional relationship with Chris Hemsworth's superhero Thor, is "multi-faceted", adding: "You get to see a real woman - all the different sides in different situations."

She also justified the changes that were made to her character in the transition from comic books to the screen. Jane, once a nurse, is now a scientist.

"The original comic books were written a few decades ago and obviously women are still wonderful nurses now, but they've also entered into different careers like astrophysics," she said.

The star's thoughts echoed comments she had made in an interview with Elle magazine, in which she railed against "macho" women characters, saying: "A movie about a weak, vulnerable woman can be feminist if it shows a real person that we can empathise with."