It seems that only a week and a half ago we were talking about Sean Penn's great involvement with Natalie Portman. We discussed how readily the Oscar winner filed for divorce from his wife of 13 years, Robin Wright Penn, to be with her. We examined rumors about a supposed tryst between Penn and Portman back in March at the Sunset Tower Hotel. We even quoted one of Star's sources who said that Natalie "stimulates him in ways no other person has."

Oh wait. That really was only a week and a half ago.

But in that short amount of time, Portman has already grown tired of the rumors. And Friday evening, she told Extra that she was putting her foot down. Love, Money & Commitment: The Life Of An Un-Wife

"Sean Penn is a friend and colleague," she said in a statement to the tabloid news show. "The reports that we are romantically involved are completely untrue. I normally do not respond to rumors about my private life; however, this repeatedly fabricated story has forced me to do so."

Hmmm...Portman's words sound as though they are delivered with conviction, but taking a closer look, it does appear there are a few holes in her statement.

First, she says that Penn is merely "a friend and colleague." This might come across as convincing if we didn't hear it every ten minutes from all the other famous people (Brad Pitt, Jon Gosselin, the former governor of New Jersey) running around on their spouses.

Second, Portman says that "the reports that we are romantically involved are completely untrue." That may be the case, but who said anything about romance? We were just talking about sex.

Third, have you heard the old Shakespearean quote "the lady doth protest too much"? If there's ever been a case of protesting too much, this is it.

In other words, we don't know for certain whether Portman is or isn't carrying on with Sean Penn. But everything she's said so far to deny it only leads us to believe she's not being entirely honest.

Photo courtesy of Splash News.