Dialogue: Natalie Portman

thehollywoodreporter.com March 16, 2006

Showest 2006 Female Star of the Year

Natalie Portman's role as Queen Padme Naberrie Amidala in 1999's "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" might have put her on the global map, but her Oscar-nominated turn as the seductive Alice in 2004's "Closer" made her a hot property in that smaller chunk of geography known as Hollywood. Not surprisingly, she has a busy and eclectic slate of films this year, from Warner Bros. Pictures' stylized sci-fi film "V for Vendetta" to the period drama "Goya's Ghosts." Portman called from the New York studios of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" -- where she was in rehearsals as guest host -- to talk to Irene Lacher for The Hollywood Reporter about her drive to stretch as an artist.

THR: Has your study of psychology at Harvard impacted your approach to your career?
Natalie Portman: I think school, in general, raised the bar for the kinds of things I wanted to do because school was so constantly stimulating; I was lucky to be around smart, interesting people -- I wanted to have the opportunity to do that with work as well. So, I try to do things that are amazing learning experiences as school was, whether it's the people or material or the place. In terms of the way I approach a character, psychology is about trying to imagine what goes into building a person's identity and why they're happy or sad or crazy or whatever. (It's also) all of those ways of asking questions and finding out about human behavior.

THR: Has it made you better actress?
Portman: Definitely. Also, your capacity for hard work, your capacity to read 20 books to write a paper or do research for a character or just practice something. It's also helped in allowing room for spontaneity and being open to new ideas and looking at things from a hundred different angles.

THR: What attracted you to "Vendetta?"
Portman: I was just excited about doing an action movie with substance, with strong characters and a strong story line -- something that will make you feel and think afterward.

THR: What about "Goya's Ghosts"?
Portman: The opportunity to work with (director) Milos Forman and Javier Bardem and Stellan Skarsgard, two of the greatest actors in the world. I play two different characters in it, and one is at two different stages of her life; all that seemed stimulating and challenging.

THR: Did you learn anything about yourself while you were working with Forman?
Portman: Absolutely. He definitely is about trusting his actors and not talking too much about things, except when there's something wrong; that was a great environment to be in, especially since he's so confident about how he's going to do it. You never do superfluous takes. He knows when you've hit it and that you're not going to need it for specific angles.

THR: I see that you have "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" coming up. Children's movies are a new genre for you. Why did you want to do it?
Portman: I was excited about doing something for kids because "Star Wars" has a big young audience. I just love kids' movies, and the whimsy and the imagination that you can employ making a movie like that that doesn't have to be naturalistic and serious all the time.

THR: Tell me about your work in "Paris, je t'aime."
Portman: I made a short film with Tom Tykwer a long time ago. We shot for four days in 2002. It's wonderful, and I love that short film because it's an assembly of short films. It's taken this long to complete all of them. I think it's a pretty original idea to make a movie that's a collaboration of great directors.

THR: What do you want to do that you haven't done yet?
Portman: I don't know necessarily. It's always a surprise. You're in a passive situation as an actor waiting for things to be created. The main thing I'd love to do is a big comedy and a thriller. Those are two genres I haven't gotten into yet.

THR: I read that when you went bald for "Vendetta," you said it was something you'd always wanted to do.
Portman: I'm always excited by dramatic changes that are reversible. I don't think I'd ever get a tattoo because I change so much from year to year, but making a dramatic physical change that might have an associated internal change is interesting. So, when you're shaving off your hair, you're giving yourself more time in the day to work on the insides rather than the outsides.

[BlackWolf]

Thanks for that article Jonny.

[SilverSpoon]

Hah, she should just guest on more episodes of SNL if she wants to do comedy.

[ezy]

Nice article.