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Natalie Portman<\/strong><\/a> has a new pep in her step following her February divorce from Benjamin Millepied<\/strong><\/a>! The Black Swan<\/em> actress was spotted in high spirits with actor Paul Mescal<\/strong> at Bar 69 in London on Tuesday, May 28.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Natalie, 42, and Paul, 28, stepped outside of the pub during the day for a cigarette break and a curbside chat, as seen in photos published by Daily Mail<\/em><\/a>. The pair\u2019s conversation was seemingly intriguing on both ends as the Star Wars<\/em> starlet and Normal People<\/em> actor both flashed cheeky smiles while laughing with a cigarette in hand.<\/span><\/p>\n The May December<\/em> actress sported a casual outfit including light wash jeans, a white T-shirt and matching sneakers. Paul wore a similar ensemble that consisted of black trousers, a matching belt and a white T-shirt tucked into his trousers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time that Natalie and Paul have been \u200bspotted together. In December 2023, the Hollywood stars were paired together for Variety<\/em>\u2019s \u201cActors on Actors\u201d segment. Right off the bat, the All of Us Strangers<\/em> \u200bstar tipped his hat off to Natalie\u2019s award-winning acting career for over 30 years and applauded her \u201cbrilliant\u201d performance in May December<\/em>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Later in the segment Paul admitted, \u201cIf my grammar school self knew that I would be talking to you, I would pinch myself many, many times.\u201d Needless to say, the two had undeniable chemistry during their on-camera interview and saw eye-to-eye on how to effectively tell their character\u2019s stories in their movies and TV shows.<\/span><\/p>\n Six months before Natalie\u2019s interview with Paul, rumors swirled that her now ex-husband Benjamin, 46, cheated on her with Camille \u00c8tienne<\/strong><\/a>. Neither of the two publicly addressed the infidelity claims. However, a source exclusively told Life & Style<\/em> that \u201cNatalie was so hurt<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShe felt she\u2019d made so many sacrifices throughout their marriage in order to make Benjamin happy, only for him to make a fool out of her,\u201d the source said in July 2023. \u201cNatalie wants to see if they can save this. She is trying. It\u2019s just that the pain is still very fresh.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n That said, reconciliation wasn\u2019t in the cards for Natalie and Benjamin after a second source exclusively told Life & Style<\/em> in January that she was \u201cpulling the plug on her marriage<\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey went to counseling, and at one point, Natalie thought she could make it work for the children\u2019s sake,\u201d the source revealed. \u201cShe desperately wanted to keep her family together, but at the end of the day, the trust that she and Benjamin had shared was irrevocably broken.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n