The Social Network's Untold Story: Was Natalie Portman The Secret Catalyst?

"Film Trivia Fact Check" aims to scrutinize user-generated trivia from the internet, particularly focusing on the veracity of IMDb Trivia pages. One such claim under investigation pertains to the film "The Social Network" and a specific deposition scene. The claim states that during one of these depositions, it is asserted that Mark Zuckerberg became "the biggest thing on a campus that included nineteen Nobel Laureates, fifteen Pulitzer Prize winners, two future Olympians, and a movie star." When questioned about the identity of the movie star, the response given is, "Does it matter?" The IMDb trivia then specifies that this movie star was, in fact, Natalie Portman, who was enrolled at Harvard as a junior and senior while Mark Zuckerberg was a freshman. Furthermore, it suggests that Portman invited screenwriter Aaron Sorkin to a dinner party with her Harvard friends to provide him with insider information concerning the school’s social life at the time Facebook was created. This particular claim is rated as "True."

The context supporting this claim stems directly from screenwriter Aaron Sorkin's own accounts following the national rollout of "The Social Network." After the film's initial public screening at the Harvard Film Archive on September 22, 2010, Sorkin openly discussed the extensive and meticulous research he conducted for the film. This research involved actively engaging with various aspects of Harvard's social landscape. For instance, he famously visited the Phoenix S.K. Club, an exclusive Harvard final club, which plays a significant role in the film's narrative, particularly regarding Mark Zuckerberg's ostracization. A report from the Harvard Crimson in September 2010 further noted that Sorkin had also received an invitation to The Fly Club, another prominent Harvard final club, though he chose to decline, describing it as "a burdensome and costly offer," contrasting it with his free entry into the Phoenix.

Amidst these discussions about the exclusive final clubs, which provided a crucial backdrop for the film's exploration of themes like exclusivity and social hierarchy, Sorkin made a significant revelation. He disclosed that he had an invaluable "inside source" for his research: none other than Natalie Portman. Portman, who was an an ex-girlfriend of a former president of the Porcellian Club – another highly prestigious and exclusive Harvard final club – provided Sorkin with firsthand insights into the intricate social dynamics and hierarchies of the university during the period of Facebook's inception. This direct involvement by Natalie Portman in supplying Sorkin with insider information directly corroborates the IMDb trivia claim, solidifying its rating as true. Her unique perspective as both a student and someone connected to the highest echelons of Harvard's social scene proved instrumental in Sorkin's crafting of the film's authentic portrayal of university life.