Natalie Portman opens up about her role in ‘Leon’: “it’s complicated for me”
After decades removed from her role in Leon: The Professional, Natalie Portman has opened about not having the smoothest experience after filming. The film marked Portman’s film debut playing Mathilde, who is a young girl taken in by a hitman.
During a recent interview looking back on her performance, Portman said that she doesn’t look back on her performance fondly, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “But it is definitely, when you watch it now, it definitely has some cringey, to say the least, aspects to it. So, yes, it’s complicated for me”.
From her debut, Portman began getting even bigger roles before eventually starring in the Star Wars prequels as Padme Amidala. Despite being conflicted about her performance in Leon: The Professional, Portman went on to say that she owes her career to the film and how it’s still the role that most people recognise her for.
However, Portman also went on to describe how she was uncomfortable being sexualised at such an early age after the film, explaining to The Independent, “Being sexualised as a child, I think, took away from my own sexuality because it made me afraid. It made me feel like the way I can be safe is to be like, ‘I’m conservative, and I’m serious, and you should respect me, and I’m smart and don’t look at me that way’”.
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