Why Natalie Portman won’t be attending the Oscars

Walking the Oscars’ red carpet is a chore even under the best of circumstances. When you’re several months pregnant? Forget it.

At least, that’s what Natalie Portman is saying. The Oscar nominee, lauded in the lead actress category for playing Jacqueline Kennedy in the biopic “Jackie� has announced she won’t be attending Sunday’s ceremony, citing her pregnancy. Portman is in her third trimester.

“I feel so lucky to be honored among my fellow nominees and wish them the most beautiful of weekends,� Portman said in a statement.

Portman was pregnant with her first child, her son Aleph, when she won the Oscar in 2011 for “Black Swan.� Referring to her impending motherhood, she thanked choreographer Benjamin Millepied, now her husband, for giving her “the most important role of [her] life.�

Portman was nominated alongside Emma Stone (“La La Land�), Isabelle Huppert (“Elle�), Meryl Streep (“Florence Foster Jenkins�) and Ruth Negga (“Loving�).

Leading up to the Oscars, Stone has won a Golden Globe (musical/comedy) and SAG Award, while Huppert has taken countless critics prizes along with the Golden Globe for drama.

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Twitter: @glennwhipp