TV Hits: What was it like on the set of Everyone Says I Love You?

Natalie Portman: It was great to do an old-fashioned musical where people burst out into a song as they walk down the street! It was my first time working with other kids like Lukas Haas and Drew Barrymore.

TH: You got your first screen kiss in Beautiful Girls from Timothy Hutton. What was that like?

NP: Awww, it was just a brotherly peck on the cheek!

TH: You're 15. Are you ready to be an adult?

NP: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Beautiful Girls actually taught me alot of what to be prepared for. It gives you this sort of warning. And the warning is beware of guys! [laughs] Mostly guys are looking for this ideal person, this model from magazines. That person is not going to fall out of the sky. You've got to face reality and accept real people.

TH: You have a very international background don't you?

NP: Yeah, I was born in Jerusalem in Israel. My dad's Israeli, and my mum's American. When they got married they went to Israel, where I was born. When I was three I went to the United States. When I was nine, we moved to the New York area and we've lived in Long Island ever since. I go to a regular public school in the suburbs.

TH: What did your friends at school think when your first film The Professional came out?

NP: People were excited that they knew someone who was in the movies and, at first, they asked a lot of questions but then they got answers and that was that. I told them I didn't really want to talk about it much. When you start talking about being an actor too much they tend to start putting you on a pedestal and that's a really uncomfortable place to be among friends.

TH: When did the acting bug bite you?

NP: I've always loved entertaining people and putting on shows at home. I started taking dancing lessons when I was four. Then, when I was 11, I got a great opportunity because a man who represented Revlon found me in a pizza parlor and asked me if I wanted to model. I said that I wanted to act. He introduced me to an agency who sent me to casting agents and that was it.

TH: Many of the characters you have played seem like old souls. Do you feel that you are wise beyond your years?

NP: I feel pretty much the same as my friends. I don't feel above them or anything. No, I don't feel like that.

TH: How do you react when you see yourself on the screen?

NP: Well, the first time I saw myself it was really strange but now I'm starting to get used to it.

TH: Are you tough on your own performances?

NP: Yeah, very. It's hard watching myself.

TH: Do you want to continue acting?

NP: I don't know. I love acting right now, and I don't know what I'll want to do several years from now. I don't know If I'll still love acting anymore.

TH: Do you plan to go to college?

NP: Oh, yes, definitely, and I don't plan to major in Drama.

TH: What other areas interest you at the moment?

NP: I like math, and am also seriously considering medicine. My Father is a doctor, an infertility specialist, and he loves what he does so much. There are so many of these women who want to have babies so bad but they can't. He helps those women get pregnant and then we've been at birthday parties for those kids. The women are so grateful. I might consider being an astronaut!

TH: Do you watch much television?

NP: Not very much 'cause I don't have the time. When I do, I love to watch Ellen --that's my favorite show--and Friends.

TH: Do you relate well to older guys?

NP: Well, I obviously do because girls have been proven to mature at an earlier age than boys. That means that a 14 year old girl and an 18 year old guy are probably going to be at the same level of maturity, of mental development. While I'm friends with people much older than me, they're all quite intent on me maintaining my innocence. A friend told me that if anyone ever did anything bad to me, I'd have 20 big brothers who would rush to my rescue! [laughs]

TH: Does juggling school and a career ever get overwhelming?

NP: Occasionally, it does. I can remember a couple of nights without sleeping because I had to do my homework and also attend the premiere of a movie. That's just the price I have to pay because I'm having so much fun doing this.