Why Isn’t Best Actress Nominee Natalie Portman at the Oscars?

Portman is up for “Jackie,” her third Oscar nomination

If Natalie Portman ends up winning the Best Actress Oscar tonight for her turn as Jacqueline Kennedy in Pablo Larrain’s “Jackie,” she won’t be there to pick it up in person. Portman is skipping the 2017 Oscars because she is pregnant.

“Due to my pregnancy, I am unable to attend the Independent Spirit Awards and the Academy Awards,” Portman said in a statement released to media late last week. “I feel so lucky to be honored among my fellow nominees and wish them the most beautiful of weekends.”

Portman and her husband, French dancer and her “Black Swan” co-star Benjamin Millepied are expecting their second child. They have been married since 2012 and have one son together, Aleph. Portman has shown off her baby bump throughout the current awards season, including on the Golden Globes red carpet, and the cover of Vanity Fair’s Hollywood issue.

Tonight’s nomination is Portman’s third — and it could be her second win. She previously won the best actress award in 2010 for “Black Swan” and was nominated in the supporting category in 2004 for “Closer.”

“Jackie” follows the iconic first lady the hours and days following President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. She’s up against Emma Stone (“La La Land”), Isabelle Huppert (“Elle”), Ruth Negga (“Loving”) and Meryl Streep (“Florence Foster Jenkins”).

The film is also up for best feature and editing.

Check out all of our Oscar coverage on Flipboard here.

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