Natalie Portman, Jenna Ortega and Charli xcx Join Forces to Promote The Gallerist at 2026 Sundance Film Festival

Natalie Portman has now added Jenna Ortega, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Charli xcx to her long list of costars. 

The Gallerist, from director and co-writer Cathy Yan, premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 24.

It stars Portman, 44, in the titular role, playing a quirkily dressed and platinum-blonde character named Polina Polinski, who is described in Sundance’s official synopsis as “a desperate gallerist [who] conspires to sell a dead body at Art Basel Miami.”

During a post-screening Q&A, Portman responded to a question about bringing her personal experience to the desperate character.

“I’ve never tried to sell a dead body before,” she quipped. “It’s not a one-to-one relationship.”

But Yan and co-writer James Pedersen’s script spoke to something deeper, explained Portman, who was also a producer on the film.

“It’s literal alchemy, what we do as artists. We’re taking something from our souls, and it becomes a commodity. And there’s a magic to tha,t and there’s a horror to that,” she continued.

Portman added that The Gallerist speaks to “those of us who make art, but also obviously depend on the market to keep getting to do what we love to do.”

“Also, what Cathy talked about in our first meeting, which was so resonant, was just the slippery slope of compromise,” the star further detailed. “Being like, ‘Okay, I could do that.’ And then you take one step and then, ‘Okay, I guess I could do that.’ And then before you know it, you’re washing blood off your hands.”

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The Oscar winner, making her first appearance at the Sundance Film Festival, was joined onstage by Ortega, 23, Charli, 33, Yan and co-writer James Pedersen.

The Gallerist also stars Zeta-Jones, 56, who was unable to make the event due to travel difficulties, as well as Sterling K. Brown, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Daniel Brühl and Zach Galifianakis.

Charli is premiering a whopping three movies at this year’s Sundance as an actress: The Gallerist, Gregg Araki’s I Want Your Sex and Aidan Zamiri’s mockumentary The Moment. 

The 2026 Sundance Film Festival runs from Jan. 22 to Feb. 1 in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah.

It’s the last iteration of the fest to be held there ahead of a move to Boulder, Colo., in 2027. It will then mark the first to be held in a new location following the death of its founder, Robert Redford.