Sundance Film Festival 2026: Natalie Portman unveils quirky role in 'The Gallerist'
- By Web Desk -
- Jan 26, 2026
Natalie Portman also included Jenna Ortega, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Charli XCX to her list of costars.
On January 24, during the premiere of The Gallerist at the Sundance Film Festival 2026, the director and co-writer Cathy Yan appeared at the event. It stars Portman, in the titular role, playing a quirkily dressed and platinum-blonde character named Polina Polinski, who is described in Sundance’s official synopsis as “a desperate gallerist conspires to sell a dead body at Art Basel Miami”.
During a post-screening Q&A, Portman responded to a question about bringing her personal experience to the desperate character. She further stated, “I’ve never tried to sell a dead body before. It’s not a one-to-one relationship”.
But Yan and co-writer James Pedersen’s script spoke to something deeper, explained Portman, who was also a producer on the film. She continued, “It’s literal alchemy, what we do as artists. We’re taking something from our souls, and it becomes a commodity. And there’s a magic to that,t and there’s a horror to that”.
Portman added that The Gallerist speaks to “those of us who make art, but also obviously depend on the market to keep getting to do what we love to do”.
“Also, what Cathy talked about in our first meeting, which was so resonant, was just the slippery slope of compromise,” the star further detailed. “Being like, ‘Okay, I could do that.’ And then you take one step and then, ‘Okay, I guess I could do that.’ And then before you know it, you’re washing blood off your hands”.
The Oscar winner, making her first appearance at the Sundance Film Festival, was joined onstage by Ortega, Charli, Yan and co-writer James Pedersen.
The Gallerist also included stars Zeta-Jones, who was unable to make the event due to travel difficulties, as well as Sterling K. Brown, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Daniel Brühl and Zach Galifianakis.
Charli is premiering a whopping three movies at this year’s Sundance as an actress: The Gallerist, Gregg Araki’s I Want Your Sex and Aidan Zamiri’s mockumentary The Moment.