If every Star Wars trilogy must feature a strong, smart, beautiful female leader
with a royal title, a passion for her people, and a fearless approach to fashion,
then thank the maker that Natalie Portman started acting. For film buffs who
have been following the young actress' career, the truth has been out there
since her stunning debut in 1994's The Professional: Portman is one of cinema's
most promising performers, and news of her casting in the pivotal role of Queen
Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy inspired feverish fans like me to
choruses of "Long Live the Queen."
In The Professional (originally released in director Luc Besson's native France under the title Leon), Portman played Mathilda, the brutally orphaned girl who formed half of an unlikely symbiotic relationship with professional hitman Jean Reno, conveying a wisdom beyond her years (she was a mere 12) and garnering her instant notice as an actor to be reckoned with. The praise continued when Portman again commanded the screen, holding her own against Matt Dillon and Timothy Hutton in 1996's Beautiful Girls.
Portman continued to distinguish herself in a string of diverse films, including 1995's Heat with Al Pacino, Woody Allen's Everyone Says I Love You (1996), and Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! (1996), in which she played President Jack Nicholson's daughter. In her next film, Anywhere But Here, Portman stars opposite Susan Sarandon, under the direction of filmmaker Wayne Wang.
But the young actress, now 17 and in her senior year in high school, garnered perhaps her most acclaim for her nine-month New York stage stint starring in The Diary of Anne Frank, an experience she says changed her forever.
Yet despite her image as a serious young thespian, Portman, who was born in Jerusalem but raised in New York City, is still a somewhat typical teenager who hangs out with her friends, watches Dawson's Creek ("I feel like such a cheese," she says of the admission), listens to Portishead while she does her homework, ponders college, and harbors a fervent passion for fashion ("It is an art, but people mistake it for materialism," she insists).
With her interest in fashion, Portman is well-suited to play the exotic Queen Amidala, since--like Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia before her--the character blazes new trails in the areas of costume and (especially) hair in Episode I. But beneath the surface, Natalie Portman has also set herself apart from her fellow actresses by bringing a surprising and compelling reservoir of depth to an array of chanllenging roles--a depth that with each successive Star Wars episode will become more important to portraying the epic story of Queen Amidala, who, like Natalie Portman, is about to grow up before our eyes.
SWI: Tell me about Queen Amidala. What kind of person is she?
NP: She is very young, obviously. She is 14, but she has all this power. Yet
she's also kind of naive. She's very trusting of the people around her because
she is so young, so people like Darth Sidious are playing around with her. But
she's also very smart, and she's really compassionate and caring, and she wants
to represent her people. She cares about her people. She makes all her political
decisions based on what would be best for her people. She's not a selfish ruler
at all.
SWI: Had you ever played a character like her before--a leader?
NP: No, never--I've never done anything that was like fantasy or science-fiction,
where they actually would put a 14-year-old girl in charge. In real life they
won't put girls in power, usually.
SWI: You were just 16 the summer you made Star Wars. Had you even seen the
classic trilogy?
NP: Yes, I watched them after I got the job. I had a marathon because I had
never seen them all--I had seen parts, and obviously it's part of the culture,
so you know certain things, like Princess Leia's buns, and the lightsabers. I
knew key words, but I didn't really know the gist of it. So I watched them all
just to get a feeling for what they were like when I got the job.
I was really, really excited because they're so cool. They showed a shift in filmmaking that was really new, and George was the first one to go in that direction of these big films, using technology to make images of things that you can't do on the set, and to make it look real. I thought it was amazing--now, it's still impressive and exciting just because of the nature of the story, but when it initially came out, it was the first of its kind. Now everything is trying to be like Star Wars.
I think the film, Episode I, is going to do that again, because it's using all new techniques. George has this amazing sense of what he's doing before he does it. You know a good director when they have a vision of what they want--they can visualize it, actually see what it's going to look like before they film it. And George is just amazing like that. It's what inventor's must have been like when they were inventing lights and telephones and stuff like that--to have this vision of the future. His people have created all the technology that's making films so exciting today. Plus, he's really nice and cool, and down to earth too.
SWI: Knowing how much people love Star Wars, did you feel a lot of pressure
stepping into the saga and fulfilling that vision?
NP: Oh, sure. Because people have their minds set already as to what kinds of
thing they like, and they have their memories of what they loved about the
originals, and the people that were in the originals. So it is a kind of
pressure, because you have to live up to all these fans who have been obsessed
with these movies. I mean, some people really make it a lifestyle. I know people
whose lives are Star Wars. Everything about their life is connected somehow. I
never really thought about it that much until I was part of it, but people
really make it a huge part of their lives.
SWI: Your friends who are big Star Wars fans must have kind of freaked out that
you're a part of it now. Do they come to you for information?
NP: Well, no one ever asks--I'm not allowed to say anything, and I think that
they kind of like that, because who wants to know evrything about a movie before
you see it? It ruins the movie. But my friends, like there's this one boy who's
in my grade who is a friend of mine, who told me that he bought the Star Wars
Trivial Pursuit. He's probably the biggest Star Wars fan I know personally, and
he was saying that he was reading the questions, and one of the questions was
something lilke, "Which star of Episode I had their Sweet Sixteen on June 9th,
1997?" And he was like, "Oh, my God," and he found my Sweet Sixteen invitation
and he started freaking out. I was like, "OK, you've known me since I was 13-
-you shouldn't be so impressed."
SWI: Why do you think so many people get excited over Star Wars?
NP: It's very simple, but it's very honest. It's kind of like George. I mean,
he's certainly not simple--he's one of the most brilliant men I've ever met--but
he's very direct and honest, and he's not pretentious in the least. He never
acts above anyone. He's never condescending at all. He's just really on your
level and just simple and clean in his speech. But he is so smart at the same
time, and I think that's like the movie too, because it has a depth to it. It
has real meaning and messages underneath it. And he really did base it on
mythology and fables, so it has a very universal and timeless story to it. But
at the same time, it's not trying to be fancy. It's allowing everyone to enjoy
it on a different level. People can enjoy it however they want--they can look
for depth in it, or they can just see it on the surface as pure entertainment.
SWI: Most of your films have been character driven dramas. Was it strange to
find yourself surrounded by blue screens and co-stars that weren't there?
NP: Yeah, it was. I had done blue screen a little bit with Mars Attacks!, but I
didn't have a big part in that, so I didn't get that much experience with it
then. But it's weird because there's a lot more for you to concentrate on that
just acting and your lines--like where you're looking and where your eye-line
is. Sometimes you'll be looking at a blue screen, but you're supposed to be
looking into someone's eyes, and it's kind of weird because your eyes focus
differently when you're looking at a wall or if your looking at a dot. But they
can't put a dot on the screen for you, because it's a blue screen for a reason,
you know? So you have everyone focusing at the same point and staying out of the
way of a certain character if a certain character is there, but they're not
really there. There's just more to think about.
It was a much harder job than I expected. I wasn't doing hard labor like some people were doing, but it was the first time I ever felt like it was a job. I expected it to be kind of easy because it's an action movie and I didn't have a lot of dramatic stuff to do in it. It's mainly a set-up movie, to set up the others. But it came out so cool! It looks so awesome. I can brag about the way it looks because it has nothing to do with me.
SWI: Are you looking foward to coming back to do Episode II?
NP: I am, because I miss everyone so much. I really loved everyone. It was hard
work, but I loved the people that worked with. All the actors are so nice. Ahmed
Best is awesome. Ewan McGregor is so cool. Jake Lloyd is the cutest kid, and
Liam Neeson is the best guy. And George is an amazing person, really nice and
intelligent and a great director. He is so efficient, and the crew is awesome.
The crew was so cool.
SWI: After you did The Professional at age 12, and then Beautiful Girls, a lot
of people commented that your performances were so "mature" or "grown up." What
did you make of those reactions?
NP: Well, I thought that was kind of weird, because I've never, ever felt older
than my peers. Sometimes I felt different, especially recently, but I think it's
also the family I've grown up in --since my dad is Israeli I've grown up with a
different set of values then most American kids, so I've felt different in that
way. But I never felt like I was more mature than anyone else. I think that
people in general will underestimate young people, and a lot of young people
don't know how to show their maturity to adults.
I think I was always good at relating to adults because I grew up as an only child. It was me and my parents all the time. We moved a lot, because my dad was learning all his stuff to become a doctor. So we lived in Israel, and then we moved to Maryland when he did his residency, and then we moved to Connecticut when he did his fellowship, and then we moved to New York when he was finally done. I don't even remember who my friends were before I was nine. I have no clear memories from before I was around 12.
But it was very weird when people were saying "She has an old soul." I was like, "What? No I don't." I've never thought of myself as older, or jaded or worldly or anything like that. I still have a very nice vision of what the world is like, and I hope to keep it that way. I'm not this older person. But then I guess it is an older thing to want to stay innocent.
SWI: With these three Star Wars movies, you'll be growing up in front of the
world. Does all the attention make you uncomfortable?
NP: The only annoying thing is when people stare at me. I know it's part of the
thing, so I'm trying to get over it, but it's the weirdest feeling. I just feel
like it's a really rude thing to do. I'm not a person who's ever trying to
attract attention. Usually, I'm OK because I'm short and I'm brown-haired and I
kind of blend in, but it's very weird. I'm pretty good about being cool with
people who are famous, but if, for example, Madonna walked into the room, I
don't know that I would be able to just talk to whoever I'm talking to and not
even flinch. It's human nature.
SWI: Who are your role models in life, and also what actors do you admire?
NP: I admire both my parents, because both of them are amazing people. They're
just good, honest people, and I admire what they've dedicated their lives to do.
My dad is a doctor and my mom is the best mom ever. She's a really dedicated
mom. I think both of those are very admirable things to do with your life. But
then there are other people, like I also admire [the late Israeli leader and
peacemaker] Yitzhak Rabin, and writers whom I love. I just read A Prayer for
Owen Meany and I'm in awe of John Irving. And actors, I admire Audrey Hepburn so
much, because she was able to get over the whole film thing and put her career
aside to work with children and help other people and reach out.
There are so many people I admire. I think anything you do, if you are helping other people, is great because you're making someone else happy.
SWI: Have you always been into acting since you were a little kid?
NP: Well, I was always really into performing for people. Ever since I was
little I would always put on shows for people, but it was more like singing and
dancing. I'd get all my cousins together on holidays and direct them in plays
and make up my own songs and have them do it. So I was always a little ham,
which is weird because now if you ask me to get up in front of people and do
anything like that I get so embarrassed. I'm humiliated if I have to speak in
front of the class.
I really wanted to be a dancer. I was serious about dancing, and it was actually after dance class one day that this man from Revlon saw me in a pizza parlor. He said, "Would you be interested in child modeling?," and I was like "Eww." We thought it was something gross, but we found out that he was a legitimate guy and I told him that I was really interested in acting, because I wanted to be a dancer on Broadway. That was my dream when I was 10. So I told him I wasn't interested in modeling, but I was interested in acting, and he introduced me to acting agents and I started going out on auditions. I never said, "I am an actress, I've got this fire inside me." I was never like that. It just kind of happened, and then I happened to start getting parts, really soon.
SWI: Did you take acting classes?
NP: No. I took dance classes, and when I was little I took singing lessons. I
was definitely heading more down the Broadway route. I wanted to be in Oklahoma
or something. I wasn't thinking of films at all.
SWI: Having worked opposite everyone from Liam Neeson and Susan Sarandon to Jack
Nicholson and Al Pacino in your young career, are you ever intimidated working
with such giants of the silver screen?
NP: I've never felt intimidated because of the way everyone else acts. You
always hear stories about people acting rude to them or making them feel
uncomfortable, but I never had that happen, never had anyone intimidate me at
all, purposely or by accident. Everyone has been really cool with me. But then
there are times when I look at my performances after the film's done, and I'm
thinking, "Wait, someone should have intimidated me."
SWI: How did your experience starring in The Diary of Anne Frank on Broadway
affect you as an actress--and as a person?
NP: It was a pretty unbelievable experience. First of all, doing stage while
being in school was very hard. I was doing eight shows a week, and I was a full
time student in my junior year, which is your hardest year. The hardest part
about it was that it was so routine. I felt like I never got out of my routine.
I was performing for seven months in New York, and I performed for one month in
Boston and we were in rehearsals for one month. It had an effect on me, because
when you're tired you get really emotional too, and also I had to cry five times
every night on stage. There were five points during the show where I'd cry.
SWI: Would you really cry?
NP: Yes. There are nights when you can't and there are other nights when you
can't stop. Some days it just hits you in a way that is so unbelievably moving.
My director, an amazing man named James Lapine, would tell me, "You're learning
your craft on this show." Because when I started out, I had nothing. When you're
not trained, you have to feel the emotions. You have to go through it yourself,
and sometimes that can be really hard. In film it's much easier to not be
trained, because you do it once, you feel it, and it's over with. But on stage
you're reliving the same thing over and over again. I loved performing the show
and thought it made me a fuller person and a deeper person, and also helped me
with my acting, but toward the end it was very difficult for me.
This year I've been ridiculously tired the whole year, which is weird because I'm purposely not doing any after-school activities, nothing. And I am so tired. My mom thinks it's residual sleep deficit from the whole year. My dad asked me if I was bitten by the tsetse fly because I can sleep for 18 hours. I can sleep a whole day. If no one woke me up, I would sleep 24 hours. I think it's a combination of my age and my appreciation for sleep. Sleep is so wonderful. Sometimes you can oversleep and feel like you've wasted your time, but I think it's one of the best ways to spend your time.
SWI: What music are you listening to these day?
NP: I listen to a lot of Stevie Wonder, the Beatles, Busta Rhymes, and Bjork. I
listen to everything. I'm very all over the place, but I'm very specific about
what I like in each category. I like REM and Beck and Radiohead. Oh, I love
Portishead. Portishead Dummy is one of my favorite CDs of all time. I listen
to it over and over and over again, and I never get sick of it--and that's such
a test for me, because there are certain things I can be obsessed with for three
weeks and then I never listen to it again in my life.
SWI: You're getting ready to go to college. Will you study acting, or are there
other things you want to pursue?
NP: I don't know if I want to be an actress later on. I'm really thinking. I'm
not sure, but I'm thinking about what I want to be. I'm very interested in
medicine. I'd be interested in being a doctor. I don't know if I'd do well in an
office job --I don't know if I'd be able to stay in one place all day. I think
I'd most enjoy being a magazine editor.
SWI: Well, I've got news for you--that's what I do, and there's a whole lot of
office involved in that.
NP: But I'd go more for a fashion magazine type thing. My friends make fun of me
because I'm so obsessed with magazines. You don't understand --I love magazines.
We go to the book store and I am like a magnet. I'm drawn to them. We go to
Borders and my friends are straight to the music, but I go straight to the
magazines, and I can stay there for an hour just reading everything.
Music and magazines, that's what I enjoy. As silly as some of them are, that's my release. I'll read Vogue and W and Vanity Fair, but I also like to read the New York Times Magazine every week, and New York magazine and Time Out, just to see what's going on in New York. Occasionally I'll be a smarty and pick up Time or Newsweek, but that's on the rare occasions when I want to be smart and relaxed. But you know, there's nothing wrong in the pleasures of fashion.