While since Jackie spends most of the film looking to control and manipulate her husband’s legacy and reputation, using the media to her advantage in the days after his death, there’s a drive that suggests this is a power Portman envies.
All the while Natalie Portman is still recognizably Natalie Portman.
The parallels between Jackie’s fame and Portman’s own life in the public eye adds an extra layer of vulnerability to her portrayal.
Her star quality still shines as she shows Jackie as someone that’s uncomfortable with her own beauty, stature, and what that projects, especially in the wake of JFK’s death and where that leaves her and her children’s future.