“No director wanted to work with me”: Star Wars almost destroyed Natalie Portman’s career – Cinema News

Returning one day to Star Wars is almost like a rite of passage for the actors of this saga. The heroes of the original trilogy, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford did it. Daisy Ridley is going to follow in his footsteps. And so did the prequel’s two stars, Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen. Finally, Natalie Portman is missing!

That’s good, the Oscar-winning Black Swan actress is all for it… even if Star Wars almost destroyed her career! Indeed, in 2001, when he distinguished himself on the Broadway stage in an adaptation of seagull No one wants to hire this Chekhov actress, directed by Mike Nichols. It was thanks to the late director that his career was ultimately saved, as he revealed in an interview with New York magazine in 2014.

“Star Wars (The Phantom Menace) came out around the time of The Seagull, and everyone thought I was a terrible actress. I was in the highest-grossing film of the decade and no director wanted to work with me. Mike wrote a letter to (fellow director) Anthony Minghella and said, ‘Put him in Cold Mountain, I’ll guarantee it.’ And then Anthony sent me to (another director) Tom Tykwer, who sent me to the Wachowskis (for V for Vendetta).

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Natalie Portman She later earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Closer, directed in 2004. mike nichols Well, then won the Best Actress Award for her performance six years later black Swan,

ready to return to the starry universe

Last month when she was a guest on the show watch what happens live To promote his new film May December, Natalie Portman stated that “no one asked himto return to Star Wars, but she was willing to answer the call favorably if Lucasfilm had the opportunity to offer her.

,I’m ready for it”, the actress recalled that her experience in the prequel trilogy was “incredible”. ,This was the first time I worked digitally. I don’t think anyone was filming like this at that time. This was the first time I worked with a green screen. It was a whole new set of skills to learn and a whole new world to enter and also, obviously, the whole Star Wars mythology that the entire country lives in. It was amazing to be a part of that.,

Natalie Portman Made her first appearance as Padme Amidala in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace The character met a tragic end in 2005’s Revenge of the Sith, but not before giving birth to the famous Luke and Leia. Although Padme’s death is permanent, Lucasfilm has proven over time that nothing is impossible in the saga, even if it seems difficult.

Taika Waititi offered Star Wars role to Natalie Portman

When Thor: Love and Thunder releases in 2022, the actress revealed that director Taika Waititi asked her to appear in his next Star Wars project… without remembering that she starred in the prequel!

,He says he forgot because he asked me if I wanted to be in a Star Wars movie and I said, ‘I was.’“, the actress told GQ. ,I thought he was joking. He’s such a joker that I thought it was a joke. And then later he said in an interview that after this he gritted his teeth.,

Natalie Portman can be found in May December, currently screening at a cinema near you.

Watch his interview with Watch What Happens Live below: