to represent or describe someone or something in a painting, film, book, or other artistic work:
The painting portrays a beautiful young woman in a blue dress.
The writer portrays life in a small village at the turn of the century.
portray sb as sth
If a person in a film, book, etc. is portrayed as a particular type of character, they are represented in that way:
The father in the film is portrayed as a fairly unpleasant character.