Key: GP--Gail Porter, presenter. NP--Natalie Portman FC--Film Clip VO--Voice Over (Non-interview speech)

GP: She is the toast of Hollywood. Why? Is it because you can do absolutely anything with her hair? Is it because she looks great in red? No, according to George Lucas, she got the job of Queen Amidala beacuse she is smart, strong, and a terrific actress. AND she's only eighteen. Here we profile the earth girl Natalie Portman.

FC: "I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war..."

VO: GP: While Liam Neeson gets the plum line "May the force be with you", and Ewan Mcgregor gets the lightsabre action, Natalie Portman as Queen Amidala wins in the showstopping costume stakes. So does this flamboyance reflect her own taste in clothes?

NP: Not at all, not at all! I mean, I like to think of myself as someone with [a] pretty well-rounded wardrobe. However, I don't think anyone could really rival Queen Amidala.

VO: GP: Touted as the new Audrey Hepburn, Natalie has had the movie industry drooling over her since her acting debut at twelve in Leon, the classic French thriller directed by Luc Besson.

NP: It was just really lucky for me to be able to have such a great director to work with when I really knew NOTHING; I had no idea, I mean I've seen my audition tape and I was HIDEOUS, I completely credit Luc with my entire performance in that film.

VO: GP: Far from becoming an overexposed wildchild, Natalie has remained a committed 'A' grade student throughout her acting career, then in the summer break is off to Hollywood, to make movies with the likes of Al Pacino and Susan Sarandon.

NP: Because of school, and wanting to be in school, I've been really picky about which projects I do, and I really only do work on something if I really love the director, or I really love the actors or something. And because of that I've been able to work with people who I really wanna work with, and not just taking whatever's offered to me.

VO: GP: Now 18, Natalie is starting college in September. More daunting than a starring role in Star Wars?

NP: I'm nervous just like anyone's nervous, about you know, your first day of school or whatever, but yeah, there's an extra thing that goes along with it, just because I'm always nervous about people, you know, wanting to be around me because I'm in movies, and not, you know, for me, but I guess that's something you have to get over ultimately when this is your life.

VO: GP: In between college commitments, Natalie is contracted to shoot the next two prequels in the summer of 2000 and 2002. But Star Wars meister George Lucas hasn't yet divulged the highly sought after storylines.

NP: I think that's because he doesn't know himself! There's really no information, none of us know any of it, all anyone knows is really the basic storylines: which is, the next one wll be a romance between Anakin Skywalker and Queen Amidala, and the one after that she'll have the kids and he'll turn to the dark side.

FC: "Senator, this is your arena..."

GP: As the world eagerly awaits the next Star Wars invasion, Natalie's already looking beyond the next movie-making galaxy for her next career move.

NP: I'm just so excited for college beccause I'm really gonna be able to explore all my other options, for adult jobs and things like that, and you know recently I've been thinking about international relations, things like that that really interest me because by the time I'm out of college, I'm gonna have been acting for ten years already, which is, I mean, some people's entire career in this business, so I would really be able to move on to something else if I found something else I loved as much or more than this.

FC: "It is clear to me now..."

GP: And apparently, she's absolutely brilliant at that game buckaroo, which is always good for parties!!!

The Movie Chart Show is a Mentorn Group Company production for Channel 5. (c) © Worldwide Entertainment News 1999.