The “amazing, poetic” directors that had a “big influence” on Natalie Portman
After coming to the public’s attention with an amazing performance at the age of just 12 in Luc Besson’s 1994 action drama Leon: The Professional, Natalie Portman immortalised herself into the fabric of cinema with an appearance in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace as Padme Amidala.
Portman would reprise her Star Wars role in the sequels of 2002 and 2005 but lessened her acting workload whilst studying psychology at Harvard University. Following the completion of her degree, she established herself as one of the best actors of her generation, beginning with an Academy Award-nominated performance in Closer.
From there, the Israeli-American actor went on to star in the likes of V for Vendetta, The Other Boleyn Girl, Black Swan, Jackie and Thor, showing that she possesses a versatility in her acting that so many of her contemporaries can only dream of, and admire from the sidelines.
Having performed for so many great directors throughout her career, there are a few who have played a significant role in shaping Portman’s professionalism. In a feature with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor once named the directors who have had the biggest impact on how she conducts herself in front of the camera.
The first is Mike Nichols, for whom Portman featured in 2004’s Closer. Nichols showed Portman the importance of getting to know her cast members and put on screenings of his favourite films for them. “We all went around the table and talked about our experiences related to the story,” she said. “It was an amazing way to get to know each other, and all remind ourselves of what story we were telling together.”
A year before Closer, Portman had performed in Cold Mountain by the “incredible, poetic and kind” Anthony Minghella. “He had a big influence on how I wanted to be on set because he would [talk to] the craft services guy and know his kids’ names and have a conversation with him in the middle of the day,” the actor noted. “You could feel the humanity on every account.”
The legendary Wong Kar-wai also showed Portman that an artist’s work is never complete, when she starred in his 2007 film, My Blueberry Nights. “He is such a great artist, constantly creating and revising,” she said. “He showed me that you’re never just filming the script, that you can keep creating the script while you’re going. There was rewriting all the time. He would be writing all night long. It was great — great energy to have that constant quest for new ideas.”
