Natalie Portman Gushes Over ‘Incredible,’ ‘Heroic’ Ruth Bader Ginsburg

January 27th, 2016 4:55 PM

Liberal actress Natalie Portman on Wednesday rhapsodized over left-wing Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, calling the judge an “inspiring” “hero.” Portman will play Ginsburg in an upcoming film. Appearing on Good Morning America, Portman gushed, “Well, she's, I think, a hero to so many of us....It's extremely inspiring and intimidating because she's such an incredible woman and she has done so much.” 

The Star Wars actress praised Ginsburg’s rise “through the ranks as a lawyer and then as a professor and then as a civil rights and women's rights activist.” 

Portman marveled, “It's pretty amazing to see what she was able to accomplish.” 

GMA co-host George Stephanopoulos, a former Democratic operative, agreed, asserting how he “loves” the idea of Portman playing the liberal judge. Stephanopoulos excitedly wondered, “So, what is it like when you call up a Supreme Court justice and say, ‘I'm thinking of playing you in a movie’?”  

A transcript of the exchange is below: 

GMA
1/27/16
8:36

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You’re really branching out in so many ways. I love some of the projects you're working on right now, playing some iconic women, Jackie O, also Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Supreme Court justice. 

NATALIE PORTMAN: Well, she's, I think, a hero to so many of us. That, we haven’t started yet. Hopefully we'll start soon. But Jackie, I'm in the middle of, which has been really, really amazing. She's fascinating. 

STEPHANOPOULOS: So, what is it like when you call up a Supreme Court justice and say, you know, “I’m thinking of playing you in a movie”? 

PORTMAN: It’s extremely inspiring and intimidating because she’s such an incredible woman and she has done so much in such an environment that is certainly not —  was not encouraging to women when she was coming through the ranks as a lawyer and then as a professor and then as a civil rights and women's rights activist. It's pretty amazing to see what she was able to accomplish without ever getting angry about the situation. 

STEPHANOPOULOS: Just kept plowing through.