Body Language Expert Reveal if Flirting Was Going on in Those Natalie Portman & Paul Mescal’s Pub Photos

If you’ve been online at all the past week, then chances are you saw the viral photo of Natalie Portman and Paul Mescal giggling and smoking together outside of a pub. While the internet is split on whether or not a romance is blooming between the two, a body language expert recently dissected what their body language showed: platonic or romantic.

Body language expert Judi James told Metro that those viral pictures of Portman and Mescal outside The Bar With No Name, an Islington business that also goes by the name Bar 69, are probably platonic.

“There’s no sign that Natalie is flirting here but Paul’s body language suggests he’s enjoying her attention and her company and maybe even a little sweetly in awe of her,” she said. “[He’s in awe] to the point where he looks slightly shy, giggling while putting one arm up in a barrier and even touching his own face in what looks like a bid to keep her attention on him.”

James added, “They are clearly enjoying each other’s company. There is a space between them that is big enough to be politely sociable. [But] rather than intimate, there are no signals from either of them to suggest they would like to get closer here.”

Despite this, the internet is still convinced sparks are flying between the two stars; especially since they’re both single.

For those who don’t know, Portman just divorced her husband, Benjamin Millepied, after 12 years of marriage. And as for Mescal, he’s been rumored to been dating Sophie Wilde since 2023, but that hasn’t been confirmed or denied. His last relationship was with Phoebe Bridgers, with whom he dated from 2020 to 2022.

Before you go, click here to see all the celebrity couples who met on set.