When Natalie Portman made a charity compilation with some of her favourite songs
American actor Natalie Portman first made a rumble in the Hollywood hills as the lethal protégée of a hitman, portrayed by Jean Reno, in Luc Besson’s celebrated 1994 film, Léon: The Professional. The English-language French movie has since been regarded as one of the greatest of the decade, thanks to Portman’s defining performance.
After Léon: The Professional, Portman enjoyed job offers left, right and centre but was highly selective with her education to consider. In 1999, she starred as Padmé Amidala in George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace in the same year as she enrolled at Harvard University to study for an undergraduate degree in psychology.
In 2002 and 2005, she appeared in the final two films of the Star Wars prequel trilogy but garnered more attention at this juncture for her stand-out role in 2004’s Closer, which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a win at the Golden Globes.
Portman managed impressively to maintain her momentum over the 2000s with appearances in V for Vendetta and The Other Boleyn Girl. Her magnum opus remains her blinding lead performance in 2010’s Black Swan, for which she took home the Academy Award for Best Actress.
The past decade has seen Portman dive into the Marvel universe as Jane Foster in the Thor films. The latest of which, Thor: Love and Thunder, has seen the star become one of the world’s highest-paid actresses.
If you’re anything like me, you like to know a little more about your favourite actors, and if you’re a lot like me, you’ll want a deep dive into their music tastes. In an interview conducted by fellow actor Jake Gyllenhaal on behalf of People magazine in 2020, Portman was asked about her music taste. “What song best describes your current state?” Gyllenhaal asked.
“I’ve mostly been listening to dirty rap lately,” Portman answered. “That’s sort of my scene,” she says. “Really, really obscene hip-hop. I love it so much. It makes me laugh and then it makes me want to dance.” (Portman then showed off her rapping skills with some explicit lyrics from the Ying Yang Twins).
In another, more extensive divulgence, Portman created a benefit compilation album, Big Change: Songs for FINCA, in 2007, which included some of her favourite songs in support of FINCA (Foundation for International Community Assistance). Most of the artists involved are party to the Independent Online Distribution Alliance (IODA), while some others were recorded exclusively by friends of the actor.
“I am honoured that so many of my favourite artists have so generously lent these beautiful songs in the name of ending poverty,” Portman said in a statement issued at the time of the album’s release. “FINCA helps the poor realise their own potential through extending small loans to start small businesses. I’m so excited that two of my passions, great new music and microfinance, can collide in such an inspiring and world-bettering fashion. I hope you enjoy my favourite bands while supporting a truly meaningful cause.”
Check out the tracklist and listen to the songs from the compilation available on Spotify below.
- Tokyo Police Club – ‘Be Good’
- Beirut – ‘My Night With the Prostitute From Marseille’
- Tom Brosseau – ‘Plaid Lined Jacket’
- Curumin – ‘Tudo Bem Malandro’
- The Shins – ‘Australia (Bjorn Yttling Mix)’
- Brett Dennen – ‘Ain’t No Reason’
- Sean Hayes – ‘Turnaroundturnmeon’
- Thee More Shallows – ‘Oh Yes, Another Mother’
- Angus & Julia Stone – ‘The Beast’
- Antony & the Johnsons – ‘Paddy’s Gone’
- Vetiver – ‘Idle Ties’
- Norah Jones – ‘Broken’
- Devendra Banhart – ‘There’s Always Something Happening’
- M. Ward – ‘What Is a Soul?’
- Wooden Wand – ‘Forgiveness Figg (Bethany Hotel Blues)’
- Rogue Wave – ‘How We Landed’
