While I firmly believe that whoever came up with the now-ubiquitous interview format where celebrities are asked to read tweets or guess at what Google autocompletes after their name will never see the kingdom of heaven, I have to admit... this GQ interview with Natalie Portman is very charming. Mostly because Portman is effortlessly earnest and reveals some very amusing anecdotes about what went on behind the scenes of a few of her nerdiest movies.
There’s a lot to unpack here: she apparently took one of Hayden Christensen’s padawan braids and then promptly lost it; Taika Waititi actually forget that she had been in a Star Wars movie (or three); half the time she was shooting Thor there were actor stand-ins for the rest of the cast because of scheduling conflicts and—probably wildest of all—she’s apparently never been asked to return to Star Wars? With all the spin-offs and prequel stories being made, surely someone somewhere has use for Padmé Amidala.
She also says that she wasn’t “written out” of the MCU—she did her time and she’s proud of her work! And good for her. She was too good for Love and Thunder, and Jane Foster deserved better.
After some ChatGPT-generated inquiries the actor deems “pageant questions,” Portman goes on TikTok and sees a question about her role in V for Vendetta, specifically the scene where Evey has her head shaved. Why not just use a bald cap? Because, she explains, they look bad and shaving your head is kind of fun. Portman seems like a real sweetheart and even if this interview format can rot in hell, at least she made the most of it.
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