Evolution Of Natalie Portman

Film producer, director and writer, Natalie Portman is an actress who has brought a variety of iconic films to life. Starting her acting career at the very young age of 11, Natalie has evolved into the poised and refined actress she is today. Natalie made her debut in 1994 when she starred as the child hitman in “Leon: The Professional”. This was an outstanding performance where she portrayed the character of Matilda flawlessly by exuding her childish maturity. Due to her age and her character, she was dressed in pre-teen miss matched clothing, often shorts and crop tops and of course the iconic choker necklace she wears throughout the film. This was the birth of her acting career and set the scene for the roles she would play in the future.

After this movie many directors were interested in her as they could see her potential especially considering how excellent she was for her age. Natalie was then cast in the Star Wars Prequel trilogy as the future mother of Luke Skywalker. This sci-fi genre was completely different to anything she had acted in previously and was completely out of her comfort zone. As she acted as a queen in this movie, she had to portray a very strong and independent yet vulnerable woman. She also had to be very graceful as the queen which was the direct opposite of her performance in Leon the professional. However, despite what you might think, being cast in this major blockbuster series nearly killed her acting career all together.

Many critics said that her performance was very lacklustre and that she was unenthusiastic throughout. She also had to deal with the constant perception that she was Queen of Naboo and could be nothing else, much like how I imagine Daniel Radcliff struggles to be seen as something other than just Harry Potter. However with some luck, Natalie was finally becoming a renowned actress in 2005 and her performance in V for Vendetta is one of the most memorable. Staying true to her serious nature she was cast as Evey who teams up with a vigilante and tries to fight against the neo-fascist society in which they are living. Evey is a strong minded woman who doesn’t just accept the things which happen around her. She is willing to fight for herself and Natalie portrays this character with such ease. She threw herself completely into the performance and she even shaved off her hair for this role. Her character evolves within this film as she begins being very feminine and non-violent however, throughout she slowly transforms into a strong woman who turns violent to express her political views. Natalie deservingly won the Saturn award for best actress in this movie.

In 2007, Natalie’s genre of movies changed completely as she appeared in more artsy films. She starred in Wes Anderson’s short film Hotel Chevalier and featured in The Darjeeling Limited. She acted as an ex-girlfriend and even though her role was not major, it definitely showed that she was willing to be a part of different styles of movies. It also showed that she was willing to play minor characters and not only leading roles. Natalie definitely has a higher sense of maturity in this movie and is very sensual as in one scene she is completely naked. And then there is Black Swan which I am sure she is very glad she auditioned for because this was the movie which won her the Oscar. In this exquisite performance, Natalie plays a mentally unstable ballerina who strives for perfection.

The role couldn’t have been cast any better in my opinion. She played to her strengths as there is certain stiffness to Natalie but this fitted her character impeccably. In this movie she is quite an uptight character and so when she isn’t in her ballet clothes, she wears quite mundane clothing. She acts mature yet very dependent and subservient to her mother in this film. Natalie portrays the good and evil side of herself so well and the internal conflict between right and wrong so effortlessly. This was without a doubt one of her most outstanding performances. In 2011, unfortunately Natalie went rogue. She starred in a romantic comedy, No Strings Attached, which by many was seen as the downfall of her career. Natalie often plays serious characters but in this movie her character was a bit more laid back because it is a comedy she unfortunately she just didn’t pull this off very well. It was very evident that she was trying too hard to embody a funny and relaxed character. Natalie is good at playing extraordinary characters that have something very special and alluring about them however, she hasn’t mastered playing normal day to day people. Luckily, this was the only comedy she ever starred in and I think after all the backlash she got from this movie, she really learnt what kind of roles she suits.

Finally, Natalie was elevated to a different calibre entirely in the movie “Jackie”. In this movie she acts as President Kennedy’s wife and the storyline follows her life after his assassination. This is the oldest character she’s had to play and so her whole demeanour had to change. She is mature and even has children in this movie. Acting as the first lady, her clothing is obviously fitting of that role and, a noticeable difference from her previous roles, is the large vocabulary she has in this movie. Natalie won the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for best actress because of this movie and her outstanding performance in it. Her natural elegance and grace shone through in this film and in my opinion she deserves all the praise she gets for this movie. Natalie Portman has definitely had a rocky road and her evolution was not seamless. She experimented and tried out many different genres and characters but it was all worth it because her end result is exquisite and I think she has finally found her niche. She has had highs and lows but from an ugly duckling, she has morphed into a beautiful swan who will hopefully have many more performances to offer us in the future.