Natalie Portman on the New Miss Dior Essence, Her Beauty Routine, and Her Viral Interaction With Rihanna

After almost 15 years as the face of multiple iterations of Miss Dior, Natalie Portman has become nearly synonymous with the scent. She has fronted the French fashion house’s eponymous fragrance since 2011, when she starred in the Miss Dior Chérie campaign. Now, Portman is the face of Miss Dior Essence, the brand’s newest fragrance launch, and she’s reflecting on her years-long collaboration with Dior.

“It’s been incredible to get to be with all the artists and creators,” Portman exclusively tells ELLE. “To really start feeling like part of that family has been incredible. You definitely have that outsider feeling when you start, and as the years go by, you feel part of it. When I go to work, it becomes like going to see family. It feels very warm and at home, like we’re creating something together.”

Dior Miss Dior Essence

The new Miss Dior Essence, imagined by Francis Kurkdjian, creative director of Dior Perfumes, is a fruity take on a gourmand. It leads with juicy blackberry notes and elderberry and blooms into floral jasmine and heady oak. Much like Portman, the scent has evolved with the house, “like a liberated girl who dares to wear the vibrant looks and fuchsia miniskirts now seen on the catwalks of Dior shows,” according to Kurkdjian. Ahead, Portman talks to ELLE about her earliest scent memory, which of her iconic characters would wear the new Miss Dior Essence, and the viral interaction she had at Paris Fashion Week with Rihanna, who declared her “one of the hottest bitches in Hollywood forever.”

I always think that what you eat is the most central part of your beauty routine. I make sure to drink lots of water, and I eat a vegan diet, which is helpful. I wash my face with Tata Harper cleanser; I use the Dior cream as a moisturizer, and that’s it. Kind of simple.

I love fragrance. I love the smell of products too. The Dior cream smells of roses; the Tata Harper has a very distinctive jasmine smell. Then, of course, I use perfume for different occasions. On a day out I might use the Miss Dior Essence, and at night I might use the Miss Dior Parfum.

I remember being in citrus groves as a kid, and the smell of orange blossom is still one of my favorites.

I love how concentrated and bold it is. It really has all of that fruity, woody, floral quality, while also being very feminine. It gives a strong personality while still feeling romantic. It makes me feel bold, daring, and feminine—it reminds me of being in love with love, and wanting that deep, passionate, wild experience.

The music helps a lot—playing the music that’s in the scene and being in these incredible locations, like the library or the rooftop. And then, of course, the scent itself helps me get in character.

I feel like Jackie O. would wear this fragrance. Maybe Queen Amidala.

Oh, it was such an incredible moment for me personally. I admire her so much, and I was shocked that it became something people paid attention to—I didn’t even realize anyone caught it on camera. It was amazing to meet her and to have her be so kind. She’s such an incredible artist and woman. It was a very sweet, very nice moment.

I think I used to think of beauty as something to conform to—an ideal to please other people. Now it’s much more about bringing out my own individuality and making myself happy, making myself feel good.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.