Rachel Cusk's latest novel, 'Life of M', introduces a celebrated film actor whose life story has drawn comparisons to Natalie Portman. The character, M, has been famous since childhood and is now the face of a major fashion brand.
Details within the novel, such as M's first film having sex scenes cut at her mother's insistence, and a ballerina movie that is recognisably 'Black Swan', mirror events in Portman's career, including her 1994 debut 'Leon'.
The book, which grew from a short story published in the New Yorker, explores the complexities of fame and the often-blurred lines between pretence and reality. It examines the corrosive effects of celebrity on family relationships and the blend of purity and cynicism that can define a public figure.