Natalie Portman at the Center of Literary Furor as Rachel Cusk’s ‘Life of M’ Nears Release

For decades, Natalie Portman has been one of our most cerebral stars. A 1999 Vanity Fair cover, promoting “The Phantom Menace,” asked whether the then-17-year-old might “choose Harvard over Hollywood.” She managed to do both, earning an Ivy League degree and an Oscar. Her characters in movies from “Jackie” to “May December” are often overthinkers,…