Natalie Portman Reveals Cate Blanchett's Perfect Advice About Being a Working Parent

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Even Oscar winner and Harvard graduate Natalie Portman doesn't always have it all figured out.

The gorgeous 34-year-old actress graces Harper's Bazaar's August 2015 cover, in which she talks about the challenges of being a working mother. Natalie has one child, 4-year-old Aleph, with her husband, dancer Benjamin Millepied. Natalie says she asked her fellow Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett for advice about being a parent very early on.

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"I said 'How do you do it? You're a mom. You're the best at what you do,'" Natalie recalls. "She said, 'You just do. Stressing about it doesn't help.'"

"Most men I know are dealing with the same issues," the Black Swan star points out. "They say they feel like if they work too hard they won’t have enough time with their families. Maybe those questions need to be asked of men, too. Maybe the men need better questions."

Harper's Bazaar

Similarly, Natalie says she sees sexism in Hollywood's focus on fashion, but at the same time, knows she has to play the game in order to be successful.

"Yeah, you could reject it all, but I don’t know anyone who has done that and been able to maintain the level of work that I'd like to maintain," she admits.

But these days, Natalie is far from Hollywood. She and Benjamin moved to France last year, after he accepted the position of Director of Dance at the Paris Opera Ballet. Obviously, there are things she misses about living in America.

"The cultures are different in ways you don't even realize," she explains. "And there's stuff you don't know you'll miss until you're away. Like indoor gyms where kids can just run around and jump. They don't have those there. [In Paris] if you’re running around on the playground chasing your kid and playing a game, people think you're nuts."

Harper's Bazaar

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In May, Natalie revealed some of the "heartbreak" and "difficult times" she experienced during her freshman year at Harvard, when she was chosen as the keynote speaker at the ivy league's Class Day ceremony. Watch below: