Beauty, Brains, and Talent: A Lethal Combination
Most child stars, unfortunately, fade to obscurity as they get older. The minute they get a growth spurt or crossover the damning threshold of adolescence, their fifteen minutes of fame is totally up. The public forgets about them, the same way they forgot about Home Alone tyke Macaulay Culkin (among others). Some child stars, after the demise of their careers, they try to relive their glory days and end up getting seriously messed up –– you know, drugs, booze, sex, etc. Before you know it, they’re washed up has-beens in rehab, a la Lindsay Lohan.
Few actors have managed to escape the confinement of the Child Star image. Only those with top-notch talent, fierce determination, and excellent management have crossed over. Actors like Natalie Portman.
Academy Award-winner Natalie Portman (born on June 9, 1981 in Jerusalem, Israel) was discovered in a pizza parlor when she was eleven years old and kicked off her career playing brainy baby characters in movies, like her feature film debut, Leon: The Professional (1994). After that, she starred in movies featuring big names like Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro in Heat (1995), and Jack Nicholson in Mars Attacks! (1996). She shot to Household Name status with the release of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, the prequel to the hit franchise created by George Lucas, in 1999 as Queen Amidala. She reprised her role as Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005). Portman proved her versatility as an actress by starring in movies of diverse genres, such as: Anywhere But Here (1999), a drama-comedy film, as Susan Sarandon’s daughter; romantic comedy/drama Garden State (2004), opposite Zach Braff; Closer (2004), with Julia Roberts and Jude Law; V for Vendetta (2006), a sci-fi action movie; The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), with Scarlett Johansson and Eric Bana, a historical drama based on King Henry VIII’s affair with the Boleyn sisters; Black Swan (2010), earning her an Oscar; No Strings Attached (2011), a romantic comedy opposite Ashton Kutcher; and Thor (2011), an action movie based on the Marvel comic book of the same name.
Granted, there are actresses who have much more sophisticated and superior resume, but none of them have Natalie Portman’s intelligence and stunning good looks.
Her selection of projects is one of the reasons why I like her. Unlike many actresses who just accept whatever role thrown at them, Portman actually reads and considers the script and doesn’t “sell out” for the sake of movies –– she has principles and she’s sticking by them. For instance, she has said that she refused to be in a horror movie or any kind of “Jennifer Love Hewitt type” film. She turned down her role in Anywhere But Here because she had to shoot a love scene that involved nudity and only accepted when the script was re-written minus the love scene. She turned down the title role in Lolita (1997), as she disapproved of young artists being exposed to sex in movies.
“I think there’s enough exploitation out there that it’s not necessary to do more.” –– Natalie Portman on Lolita.
Another reason to like her? She obviously cares about the quality of a film of hers than she is about looks. What other actress would willingly shave her head for a role, just as Natalie had done for V for Vendetta?
What truly sets her apart from most actresses was the fact that she continued her studies despite her blossoming career. She multitasked between being a movie star and a regular high-school girl. She even went to prom (“A designer is going to give me something to wear. It’s the most amazing perk I have.” –– when asked about her prom dress). And guess what? After graduating Valedictorian of Syosset High School in 1999 (and, yes, I do mean valedictorian), she proceeded to study Psychology and Neuroscience in Harvard. She felt that she could use college to “explore what other careers I might be interested in,” and that she didn’t care if it ruined her career. “I’d rather be smart than a movie star,” she said.
Smart? Hello, Neuroscience? Duh. Check. Beautiful? That goes without saying. Check. Talented? She didn’t win an Oscar for nothing. Check. A caring, moral, passionate person who has her entire life ahead of her? Check. Natalie Portman is a true movie star and a true intellectual. This is the type of woman we want young girls to look up to. This is one child actress who isn’t going anywhere for a long time.
Reference:
· IMDB. 2011. Natalie Portman – Biography. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000204/bio. [Accessed 29 May 11].
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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